Maybe I Won't Go Back Again
by SmiggleWiggy
Summary: Dreams are often very real. For Cheyanne Phillips, they are real, and very likely something she should be paying attention too, for they very possibly lead to a revelation of who Cheyanne is, as well as who she is meant to be. All it'll take is a journey across Middle-earth with a Company of Dwarves, a wizard, and a Hobbit...
1. AUJ - An Unexpected Dream?

**HEY! Hi. Hello. So, this isn't something I usually do, as you can tell if you've read me before or taken a glance at my Story List, but ****_The Hobbit_**** is my favorite book and at the moment favorite movie series, and I uh... I needed to do it. **

**Please don't hurt me. **

**So, with the held of an online script created by fans (thanks to whoever y'all are), we will be having a rollicking good time in the life of my character. I hope y'all enjoy, and please, R&amp;R before I decide to post another chapter because I honestly don't know if this is good or not. **

**Love you.**

**To Middle-Earth! **

_**The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Maybe I Won't Go Back Again: Part 1)**_

_**The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Maybe I Won't Go Back Again: Part 1)**_

"Yo, it's time we drop the beat

In the middle of this summer's heat

It's Cheyanne coming at ya

With lyrics no one can beat, bruh."

Cheyanne was grinning before she even finished, and by the last word, she was choking back laughter. Jon leaned around the camera he was holding and gave her a questioning look. She held up a finger, chuckled for a moment, snorted, hiccuped, and cleared her throat.

"Alright," she breathed when she was done. "Go ahead."

"One take, Chey!" Jon exclaimed, setting down the camera. "We agreed on one take!"

Jon Davenport may have been her best friend, but he clearly didn't know that there was no way she could do anything in one try. The blonde male lifted a thin eyebrow at her, waiting for a response.

Cheyanne merely lifted her shoulders in a shrug. Jon sighed and rolled his blue eyes. "I'm sorry!" she told him. "But I can't take these lyrics seriously."

"You're hopeless," said Jon. "You told me you could do it in one take without laughing."

"That was before I started to say these out loud," Cheyanne replied. She shuffled through the papers. "How am I supposed to act serious when these lyrics are hilarious?"

"You asked me to write you a funny rap that you could sing seriously too," Jon reminded her. "Obviously, I'm not The Lonley Island.'"

"But you write stuff for yourself that's funny, and you don't laugh," Cheyanne said. She tilted her head at him. "How do you do it?"

Her friend could only shrug. He motioned towards his camera. "You want to do this or not?"

"I guess not." Cheyanne gazed at him forlornly. "I'm sorry I wasted your time."

Jon grunted and clicked off the handheld camera. He glanced over at her as he slid it into his bag and grinned. "You couldn't ever waste my time, Bilbo Baggins."

"Gods damn you, Jon Davenport!" Cheyanne growled at him as he reached up to turn on the ceiling fan. It was summer in Texas, and hot as hell. "I do not look like Bilbo Baggins. I do not look like Martin Freeman. I am Cheyanne Phillips, and I am my own person."

"No. You are Bilbo Baggins. The female version of Bilbo Baggins." Jon paused and furrowed his brow. "Is Cheyanne an appropriate name for a hobbit?"

"Yes," Cheyanne sighed against her will. "I looked it up the first time we discussed this, remember?"

Jon smirked at her. "Then you are Cheyanne Baggins, Bilbo Baggins's cousin, or something." When Cheyanne continued to glare at him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With a few taps, he turned the screen to face her, and she saw a picture of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins right next to a picture of herself. She studied it for a moment, and then lifted her eyes to Jon's. "Okay, so, there may be a slight resemblance."

"Relatives," corrected her friend. He put his phone back in his pocket. "Definitely. You'll need to look into that."

"Martin Freeman is English!" exclaimed Cheyanne. "I'm Texan! I even have an accent!"

"So does he," Jon reminded her.

Cheyanne marched over to her front door and pulled it open. "Out," she ordered, pointing into the hallway.

Jon submissively walked out into the hall outside of her apartment and stood before the doorway. "I'm telling ya," he said as she started to close the door. "You should really look into your family tree."

"Goodbye Jon. I love you." Cheyanne shut the door fully and shook her head at his ridiculousness. "Family tree. Bah."

All the same, she wandered into the bathroom and gazed at her reflection. If she looked like Bilbo Baggins/Martin Freeman at all, it was only because of her eye color and curly brown hair. Those were really the only similarities between the two of them. With a sigh, she pulls her phone from her back pocket. "Okay Google," she said, and immediately the Google search engine appeared. "Bilbo Baggins images."

Her phone did as she asked, and in a moment, her screen was filled with mini images of Martin Freeman as he appeared in the movies based on _The Hobbit_ by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Chey tapped one of the more profile picture looking images and studied his face. Okay, she had to admit, their noses were pretty similar. But they definitely had different lips!

Rolling her eyes, she closed the internet window on her phone and put it back in her pocket. Shaking her head at her reflection, she exited the bathroom and went back into the living room. Plopping down on the couch, she kicks her feet up on the cushions and reaches for the remote.

"Oh, right," she sighed when she saw what was on. They had been watching _The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey_ before Jon had remembered he'd written the rap she'd asked for. "Of course."

She clicked play on the DVD remote and allowed the movie to resume, but she didn't focus on it. Instead, she covered her eyes with her arm and decided she was going to take a nap. She fell asleep to Thorin Oakenshield and the rest of the company of dwarves singing.

Cheyanne removed her arm from over her eyes when the singing of the dwarves abruptly ended and was replaced by the sound of birds tweeting. She blinked a few times to find trees overhead of her, and immediately she sat up in surprise and perhaps even a little bit of fear.

She gazed around. It seemed she was lying in a forest. Somewhere. _Just a dream_, she thought to herself. _Has to be_. Indeed, when she pinched herself, it barely hurt.

"Alright," she said, climbing to her feet. "Let's see what we've got going on here."

"Hallo!" someone called from behind her. She turned at the voice and saw a familiar looking… Person, walking towards her. As soon as he reached her, she understood why he looked so familiar. It was Balin, one of the dwarves from _The Hobbit_. He was a few inches shorter than she was, which was impressive, considering she was only 5 foot.

She grinned down at him. "Hello to you."

"What are you doing out in the woods?" Balin questioned. "It's strange to find someone out and about so near sunset."

"If that's the truth, I should be asking the same of you, dwarf," she answered easily.

Balin's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. She glanced down and saw she was still wearing her booty shorts and t-shirt with the BioShock Infinite logo across it. "You're not from around these parts, are you?" the old dwarf asked after gazing at her a moment longer.

_Well, this is a dream_, she thought to herself. _Why not tell him_? "No, actually," she told him. "I'm from Earth. It's a long, long way from here."

"Huh," commented Balin with a lifted eyebrow. "Never heard of it."

"Yes, I wouldn't think you would have. It's little known here in Middle-Earth." Cheyanne glanced around. "So, are you on your way to Bilbo's house?"

This clearly sparked Balin's interest if her answer about Earth hadn't. He tugged on his curled beard and gazed up at her questioningly. "Now how do you know about that?"

She shrugged. "Maybe I can tell the future."

"Hmm." Balin looked wary. Clearly, he didn't know what to make of her. "What else do you know?"

"Well." Cheyanne looked up at the sky. "I know you're going to the house of Bilbo Baggins to meet up with 12 other dwarves and Gandalf the Gray to go on an expedition." She decided to leave out the part she knew about Erebor. Who knew what would happen in her dream if she said she knew about that?

Balin wasn't wary now. He looked impressed, in fact. "How did you know all of that?"

Cheyanne shrugged again. "Like I said, I can tell the future."

The dwarf tilted his head at her. "What is your name, and your race?"

"My name is Cheyanne Phillips," she answered. "As for my race, I am an extremely short human."

"I see," Balin said. "Cheyanne, where do you actually come from?"

Her jaw stiffened. "I'm from Earth! You don't know where it is because it doesn't exist in your world here."

"What do you mean?" asked the dwarf.

Cheyanne took a deep breath. "I'm dreaming. You are a fictional character who has found his way into my dream. When I wake up, I'll most likely remember none of this."

Now Balin looked concerned for her sanity. "Yes, that would explain your… Choice of wardrobe," he said at last. He clearly didn't believe her in the slightest, or thought she was crazy. Because of this, he turned away from her and continued on down the road towards the Shire.

"Hey!" Cheyanne called after him. "Can I come, too?"

Balin didn't stop, and she sighed, her shoulders slumping. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to go. So, without waiting for a response, she trailed after the dwarf to follow him to Bilbo's house.

Balin knew she was following him; she was almost one hundred percent certain of that. But he didn't turn to chastise her, and so she assumed he didn't mind it.

They walked along the forest path for quite some time. Cheyanne recognized it as the path Frodo runs to meet Gandalf on in the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. She was tempted to join Balin further up the path, but decided against it. He may ask her to leave, and she wasn't sure if she wanted too just yet.

After they had been walking for quite some time, Chey finally spotted the Shire through the trees. Balin halted at the edge of the forest and turned to her.

"Alright," he began, "since you seem to know a bit about our plans, care to lead me to Mr. Baggins's house?"

Cheyanne looked past him to the village ahead. She could see Bilbo's house from where they were standing, it's bright green door like a beacon to her through the setting sun.

She nodded to Balin. "'Course," she replied. "Follow me."

Confidently, she started towards the hole in the ground. In that hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. It wasn't a nasty, dirty, wet hole, if the movie was correct.

_Okay Chey_, she said to herself. _Getting a little too Tolkien. Calm down_.

Hobbits who were just beginning to disappear into their homes stared at them with interest and confusion as they walked by. Cheyanne didn't blame them; it wasn't very often you saw a human and a dwarf walking through the Shire.

Balin appeared to be wishing they weren't drawing so much attention to themselves. He kept hiding from the prying gazes of the Hobbits, tugging on Cheyanne's shirt.

"Are you positive we're going the right way?" he asked her, worried.

They had reached Bilbo's house by then. Cheyanne merely gestured to the front door, where Gandalf's mark was glowing brightly.

As soon as he saw this, Balin _hmphed_ in satisfaction and knocked on the green door.

Bilbo pulled it open a moment later, and studied them both with wide eyes.

"Evening," Balin greeted. He bowed low. "Balin, at your service."

Cheyanne bowed as well. "Cheyanne," she said, and then, copying Balin, "at your service."

"Hello," greeted Bilbo, cautious.

Dwalin appeared behind him, and Balin held out his arms. "Ah!" he said, ducking by Bilbo to talk with his brother. Cheyanne did the same, smiling apologetically at the hobbit as she did so.

Dwalin and Balin disappeared into the dining room, leaving Bilbo to scamper after them. Cheyanne followed more slowly, and walked in to Balin taking the rest of Dwalin's food. Bilbo hurried to get more, almost like he was in a trance.

There was another knock on the door. Bilbo reappeared instantly and hurried towards the front hall, dropping the platter he had gathered on the table.

Cheyanne chose to sit down with the dwarves. She was hungry, too.

Dwalin scrutinized her as she picked up a piece of bread. "Who's this one?" he asked Balin.

"I'm Bilbo's distant cousin," she put in before Balin could respond. When the old dwarf looked at her, she shrugged. "So I was messing with you. Who cares?"

Bilbo reappeared, behind Fili and Kili, who were both grinning already. Cheyanne marveled over how cute they both were.

They, too, studied Cheyanne as soon as they had sat down. "Who are you?" Fili queried while Kili asked' "Are you coming on the journey, too?"

Cheyanne nodded to Kili's question while answering Fili's. "Bilbo's distant cousin Cheyanne Baggins. Gandalf asked me to accompany you all."

This answer seemed to be enough for the both of them. They looked at one another and shrugged before turning their attention to the food on the table.

Bilbo wasn't happy with her words. "Cousin?" he asked, almost to himself.

"Oh Bilbo!" Cheyanne exclaimed. "I can't believe you've forgotten about me. Surely you're joking?"

Bilbo blinked at her, still confused. "Of course," he said at last. "Cousin. Sorry."

There was another knock on the door. Bilbo disappeared to answer it.

The rest of of the company appeared with him. Gandalf strode in behind them all, and his gaze locked on Cheyanne.

After a moment of studying her, he smiled. "Cheyanne, glad to see you could join us."

She grinned and dipped her head. "Wouldn't miss this for the world."

_Wow_! she mused silently. _I'm talking to Ian McKellen. This is a great dream_.

Several minutes later, she was sitting with Gandalf at the head of the table while the dwarves were busy eating and talking loudly to one another.

"Hmm," mused the wizard from beside her. "We appear to be a dwarf short."

Cheyanne waves this off. "He's late, I'm sure of it. Probably went to meet with their kin."

Dori scampered to Gandalf, a tiny cup of wine in his hands. "Your wine, sir."

"Ah," Gandalf said, taking it "Thank you."

He gazed at Cheyanne scrupulously over the cup. She stared back, lifting an eyebrow. "Problem?"

"Not at all," the wizard responded. "I'm just impressed with you. What they say seems to be true."

"'Course it is!" Cheyanne responded, not sure what he was talking about but not really caring. She was having to much fun.

Bilbo scurried around from there to there, trying to stop the dwarves from eating all his food. It didn't seem to be working out to well for her "cousin". Cheyanne excused herself from Gandalf's side and went to help Bilbo.

"Alright!" she shouted above the dwarves' loud talking. "That's enough. Bilbo would like his pantry to stay full, please."

Dori scoffed and gestured towards the small closet at the back of the kitchen. "May be too late for that already, lassie," he said.

Bilbo groaned under his breath and crept to the pantry. Cheyanne saw him open it and heard him moan when it saw it was completely barren. He crawled back to her and let out an annoyed sigh. "I think I'll never have visitors over again."

"Mister Bilbo?" Ori called down the table. "Where do you want my plate?"

"Ah, here Ori!" Fili called. "Toss it to me."

Ori did just that, and in turn, Fili threw it to Kili, who sent it over Cheyanne's head to where Bifur had gotten up and was standing by the sink in the kitchen.

Bilbo turned pale beside her as the other dwarves started to throw their own plates towards Bifur. He managed to catch them all, even at the alarming rate they were flying.

"Please refrain from throwing my mother's dishes," said Bilbo over the clatter of plates in the sink. "They're a very expensive set."

The dwarves, ignoring him, start to beat a rhythm on the table with their fists and utensils.

"And can you please not do that?" Bilbo exclaimed, grabbing a knife from Nori's hands. "You'll blunt them!"

That sent up a laugh and Bofur said, "You hear that lads? He said we'll blunt the knives!"

Kili starts to sing, and the other dwarves join in as they continue to toss dishware to Bifur. Cheyanne leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and watched Bilbo hurry around the room to try and save the plates.

"_Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the wine on every door_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_When you've finished, if any are whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll_

_..._

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates_!"

As soon as the song was over, there was a loud knocking on the front door. Gandalf stood and eyed the dwarves one by one.

"He's here," he said.

Cheyanne sat up with a yawn, fairly disappointed that her dream had gotten cut short.

A glance out her window, however, revealed that her nap had gone on a bit longer than she had intended. It was dark outside.

"Dammit," she sighed to herself. "Now I won't fall asleep tonight. I have work tomorrow!"

She switched off the TV, which was running through the credits of _The Hobbit_. She yawned again and stood, waddling to her bedroom. She flicked on the light and walked over to her computer. Cracking her fingers as she sat down in her desk chair, she decided that as long as long she was awake, she may as well write down what her dream had been about. It was unusual for her to remember a dream she had, so she chose to document it before it left her brain for good, like most of her dreams did.

She opened up a Notepad and started to type; _I wake up on a dirt path in the middle of the woods. The sun is beginning to set, casting everything in a orangish-glow..._

About thirty minutes later, she had typed it all out. She saved the Notepad and turned around in her desk chair, grabbing for her phone as she did so.

She texted a quick message to Jon: _had a crazy dream during my nap. stop by Dreamers' tomorrow for a story?_

After she'd showered and brushed her teeth, she came back to a glowing screen.

_Yeah! Can't wait to hear it._

She grinned and printed up the Notepad she'd written on before sliding it into her bag.

When that was done, she fell onto her bed and snuggled under the covers, a sleep grin growing on her lips. Maybe if she fell asleep, she'd finish out her dream.

The next day, she slid into Dreamers' Books and Other Media just before she was late, her bag safely dangling off of her arm.

"Cheyanne!" Mr. Hoffman shouted through the door leading to the back room.

"I'm a minute on time, Gary," she yelled back, moving behind the counter to go through the door. She found Mr. Gary Hoffman standing over a box, rustling through it.

He was an aging man, and not aging gracefully. The top of his head was bald, and the hair that he did have was pure white. It matched his full beard. Wire rim glasses covered small rheumy green eyes, and were set over a bulbous nose. Thin lips pursed as he glanced up from his box and studied her.

"Can't you ever try to look presentable?" he muttered under his breath.

Cheyanne glanced down. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeved blue button up. She met Gary's eyes.

"You're lucky I wore jeans instead of shorts."

Gary huffed, and Cheyanne joined him next to the box. She reached in and pulled out one of the items inside. "New books?" she queried. "We just got a new shipment two weeks ago."

"And those books are already almost gone," Mr. Hoffman replied, taking the book from her. "We needed new books, and so I bought some."

Cheyanne took back the book and read the title. "_Amulet of Cryalium_," she mused. "Sounds interesting. What's it about?"

"Read it on your break," Gary said, turning back to the box. He lifted it up and pushed it into her hands. "Here, go shelf these."

He grabbed his cane and started for the door. Cheyanne hurried after him, her back arching because of the size of the box.

"Speaking of breaks," she said, "I have something for you to read on yours."

"Cheyanne, you know I don't take breaks," said Gary, holding the door open for her. She walked around the the counter and headed towards the shelves.

"I know, but I think I have something this time!" she told him as she started putting books on the shelves. The three _Amulet of Cryalium_s went up on the Fantasy shelf first.

"Cheyanne." Mr. Hoffman sounded annoyed. "I'll read it if I have time, alright?"

She grinned at him from over the shelf and nodded fiercely. Gary shook his head and opened the cash register with a ding!

The bell over the store's door rang cheerfully, and Jon hurried inside, face flushed from the heat outside. He pulled up short when Gary glared at him from over his glasses.

"Sorry, G," he apologized.

Cheyanne waved him over. Jon joined her by the shelf and leaned close. "It's in the back room," she whispered, "in my bag."

"I can't go back there and get it!" her friend complained.

Cheyanne passed him the copies of _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ she was holding. "You shelve these, and I'll go get it," she said.

Leaving Jon with the books, she scooted closer to the counter and started into the back room.

"Where are you going?" Gary demanded from behind her.

She stopped and looked at him from over her shoulder. He had his hands on his hips and was giving her a look.

"Jon wants to read the thing I told you about," she said. "I'm going to get it for him."

"You need to go do you job," Mr. Hoffman replied, ushering her away from the door. "I'll go get this... Whatever it is. Where is it?"

"In my bag, but-"

"I'll get it," Gary cut her off, and he disappeared through the door.

Cheyanne sighed and returned to Jon. He'd shelved _Leagues_ and had moved on to _Great Expectations_. He glanced up as she walked over.

"Why'd he do that, you think?" he asked her.

"He wants to read it without me knowing," she responded dismissively. "He does it all the time."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Jon asked her as she pulled her own stack of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ from the book and started to put them on the shelf.

Cheyanne shrugged. "No. I kind of like it, actually. The fact he keeps reading them makes me think he likes 'em."

Jon finished with Expectations and bent down to pull out another stack. He emerged with the next book in the _Harry Potter_ series and ran his thumb down the pages.

"What's the new one about, Miss Baggins?" he asked her at last.

Cheyanne reached down for a new stack and pulled out _Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring_. She let out a breath and held up the book. "Let's just say Tolkien and Peter Jackson visited me."

A half hour later, and they were out of books. The shelves were full once again, showing off the covers of popular and new titles that some people may love already, or may come to love.

Cheyanne was about to reach for _Amulet of Cryalium _when the door to the back room opened and Gary shuffled out, holding the printed papers in his hands.

He lifted his eyes and met Cheyanne's from across the shop. Without saying a word, he set the papers down on the counter and gestured for her to approach. She replaced _Amulet_ on the shelf and did so, aware of Jon watching them both closely.

Gary let out a breath when she was standing across the counter from him. He shuffled through the three papers before him and looked at Cheyanne. His green eyes were sparkling.

"This," he began, "needs to be finished."

"Why?" Cheyanne asked him, breathless.

Mr. Hoffman pulled off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. As he's slid them back on, he met her eyes again. This time, he was grinning. "Every great beginning has a great ending," he said. "I don't know about you, but I want to know what this great ending will be."

**And so it begins. Please review, and tell me whether I should just forget about it and keep writing to myself. **

**Personally, I'm wondering what's gonna happen when Thorin Oakenshield shows up. **

**Wink. Wink. Wiiiiiink.**


	2. AUJ - Hey, Thorin, You Grump

**Here I go again on my own. **

**Going down the only road I've ever known. **

**Some Whitesnake for ya on a lovely Saturday.**

**So, yeah. Here I am. And I'm making this a thing, since a couple of you lovely people seemed interested and wanting to know more. I'll be uploading chapters on Wednesdays and Saturdays, because... That's typically when I have free time. **

**Let's enjoy our time with Cheyanne, and see where this journey takes her, eh?**

* * *

"You heard him, didn't you?" Cheyanne exclaimed later. She and Jon had returned to her apart once her shift had ended, and Jon had just now decided that it was his turn to read her dream.

"I did," he agreed. "But before I can agree with his opinion, I want to read it for myself."

Cheyanne passed him the papers quickly. "Read fast," she ordered. "I want to know whether to try and get that dream back."

Jon rolled his eyes, but all the same was done reading within twenty minutes. When he set down the papers, Cheyanne glanced at him.

He nodded. "Get that dream back."

Immediately, Cheyanne ushered him out of her apartment and started up the movie from the beginning. Laying back on her couch, she sighed and covered her eyes with her arm.

"Come back to me, dream," she murmured to herself.

(*)

"Mister Baggins, this is the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Cheyanne found herself standing in the archway between the dining room and the front hallway of Bilbo's house. Thorin walked into the hall, studying Bilbo with a disinterested gaze as he did so. Cheyanne had to struggle to keep her tongue in her mouth.

_Richard Armitage. Five feet away. Oh Gods._

"So this is the hobbit," he said after a moment. "Tell me, Mister Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

Bilbo blinked at him in confusion. "Sorry, what?" he asked.

"Sword or axe, which weapon do you prefer?" Thorin rephrased his question with a glance at Gandalf.

They scooted past Cheyanne into the dining room. Her hand brushed against Thorin's cloak as he passed her, and she swooned a little, missing whatever it was Bilbo responded with.

"Thought as much," the dwarf prince was saying when she was able to focus again. He smirked a little at his fellow dwarves. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

The dwarves laugh, and Cheyanne frowned. "Leave Bilbo alone," she ordered before she could think twice. 14 sets of eyes turned in her direction. She subconsciously crossed one foot over the other and said, "He's more than he looks."

Thorin lifted an eyebrow and walked over to her. He was a taller dwarf; he stood two inches above her. Gazing at her up and down, he asked, "Who are you supposed to be?"

Cheyanne let out a breath. "My name is Cheyanne Baggins," she replied, silently cursing Jon in the back of her head. "Gandalf asked me to come."

Thorin turned to look at the wizard. "We didn't talk about this."

Gandalf shrugged and crossed his hands on the top of his staff. "I didn't think it was necessary. Besides, I believe that Lady Baggins is more than she appears to be as well."

Cheyanne lifted her chin defiantly at the dwarf, forgetting that he was part of a line of kings. Thorin tilted his head. "She does know who I am, yes?" he queried.

"Yes, I know who you are. And unlike most, I know how this thing ends. I believe that may be the hidden talent Gandalf is talking about."

"She can read into the future?" Bombur asked, looking up from his plate.

"Hah," Dori scoffed. "That's just as unlikely as her actually being useful on this journey."

The other dwarves looked at Gandalf for a response. The wizard looked towards Cheyanne. "I suppose only time will tell just how useful she will prove to be."

"Does everyone else know what's going on except for me?" Bilbo questioned from his side.

Gandalf turned to Thorin. "Perhaps we should give our king some food first, hm?"

Bilbo blinked. "King?" he stammered.

"Food first, explanation later," Gandalf replied.

Thorin was given a plate of whatever remained. As he ate, the dwarves bombarded with questions, and Bilbo drew Cheyanne away from the table. He wasn't too much shorter than her, perhaps an inch or so.

"What are they doing here?" he asked her.

"They need your help. If you do it, you'll get rich. Is that enough information for now?" Cheyanne pulled her arm from his grasp and returned to Gandalf's side.

The wizard gestured to Bilbo. "A little more light, please."

Bilbo brought a lamp closer as Gandalf pulled a map from his robe and spread it out on the table. Cheyanne felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of it. She had a copy hanging in her bedroom, but to be with the real thing...

"Far to the east," Gandalf began, "over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak."

Bilbo leaned over Cheyanne's shoulder. 'The Lonely Mountain," he read.

"Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it's time," said Gloin.

His brother nodded, ear horn up so he could hear what they were saying. "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: when the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end."

"Beast?" Bilbo moved in beside Cheyanne, looking up and down the line of dwarves. "What beast?"

"Well," Bofur began, leaning back, preparing for an explanation, "that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

"Yes, all right, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo cut in. "But what does that have to do with some mountain?"

"It's not just some mountain, cousin," Cheyanne replied. "It's very important to the dwarves."

"Perhaps you would like to explain, Lady Baggins," Balin suggested.

"How would she?" Dwalin asked, glancing at his brother.

"She seemed to know quite a bit when I met her on the path," responded Balin.

Cheyanne grinned sheepishly and shrunk down on her stool. "No, I'll be quiet. Go on."

"I want to hear just how much you know about our quest," Thorin said before anyone could say anything. He studied Cheyanne with curious blue eyes, waiting.

She let out a breath and pointed to the Lonely Mountain. "Within this mountain," she started, looking at Bilbo, "is the Dwarven kingdom of Erebor. Sixty years ago, a fire drake from the north by the name of Smaug attacked, destroying the human city of Dale, as well as taking over Erebor. We're going to go and reclaim the lost kingdom, and the treasure within the walls."

"Very good," Gandalf said, pleased.

"How do you know so much?" Gloin demanded of her. She looked down at the floor with a shake of her head, and an uncomfortable silence followed.

"Yes, but how do we get inside?" Balin finally queried, acting as though the silence had never occured. "The front gate is sealed, remember?"

"Ah, but there is another way in," Gandalf responded. A key appeared from nowhere, and he held it before Thorin. The dwarf looked it over and then glanced at Gandalf. "How did you come by this?"

"Your father gave it to me," Gandalf replied. "It's yours now." The key exchanged hands, and Thorin slipped it on a string. "Keep it safe."

Thorin nodded and hid the key behind his shirt.

"If there's a key," Fili began, thinking, "then there must be a door!"

"There _is_ another way in!" Kili exclaimed.

Gandalf gestured to the runes on the map with his pipe. "Well, only if we can find it. Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar," finished Ori.

"Hmm, a good one too," Bilbo said from Cheyanne's side. "An expert, I'd imagine."

"And are you?" Gloin asked him.

Bilbo furrowed his brow. "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert! Hey hey!" Oin said cheerfully, and the other dwarves started talking excitedly.

"Who knew that Hobbits had so many talents?" Cheyanne heard one say, and another said, "Don't tell me you believe that garbage about the she-hobbit."

Bilbo was desperately trying to deter the dwarves. "I'm not a burglar!" he exclaimed, waving his hands. "I've never stolen a thing in my life."

Balin spoke up over the other dwarves. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Master Baggins. He does not look the type."

"I'm not," Bilbo agreed.

"Aye, the wilds are no place for his kind," Dwalin added. "He wouldn't last a week."

Bilbo nodded, and the dwarves started to argue. Cheyanne hid her head in her arms as Gandalf rose beside her and silenced them. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, than a burglar he is."

Gandalf settled back down in his chair when the dwarves had stopped talking. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." He nodded to Cheyanne. "And we have two of them."

"I asked you to find a fourteenth member, Gandalf," Thorin muttered. "Not a fourteenth and a half."

"Excuse me, your royal dwarf, but I'm just as useful as Bilbo is going to be," Cheyanne cut in, starting to get annoyed. "If you would just listen to me, I can tell you everything that is going to happen on our journey before it actually happens."

"Well, isn't she rude?" Dori asked Gloin, who nodded in agreement.

"We're not dividing the share again," grumbled Dwalin.

"I don't want your money," Cheyanne sighed. "I just want to help. Go on an adventure."

Gandalf looked at Thorin. "Well?" he asked. "What are you thinking?"

Thorin gazed at Cheyanne steadily. She lifted an eyebrow challengingly, and the dwarf sniffed. "If she wants to come, fine. But she will receive nothing if and when the treasure of Erebor is reclaimed."

"Good," Cheyanne said. "Gold has a way of making people go insane." She eyed Thorin. "I wouldn't want that happening to me."

The dwarf didn't flinch, but turned Balin. "Give the other hobbit a contract."

Balin passes Bilbo a long piece of paper, which Bilbo takes sadly. "It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

Bilbo skims it, and stops. "Funeral arrangements?" When no one responds, he retreats to read it.

Thorin leaned across Cheyanne to talk with Gandalf. "I cannot guarantee his safety," he said softly.

"Understood," the wizard replied.

"Nor will I be responsible for his fate."

Gandalf nodded after slight hesitation, and Bilbo came back, looking a little dazed. "... Incineration?" he asked, his face pale.

"Aye," Bofur agreed, "he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye."

"Huh," Bilbo said.

Cheyanne sighed and got up to catch Bilbo when he faints.

No one appeared to notice this except for Thorin. He eyed her as Balin asked, "You alright, laddie?"

"Oh yes," replied Bilbo as he bent over. "Just feeling a little nauseated."

"Think furnace with wings," Bofur went on. Bilbo took another step in her direction. "Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

"Ah, nope," Bilbo managed, and Cheyanne held out her arms just as Bilbo fell back into them in a faint.

The dwarves gape at her as she settled Bilbo down on the floor. When she stood, she shrugged and said, "Told y'all I knew."

As Gandalf and a few other dwarves attend to too her "cousin", Thorin catches her arm.

"What are you, exactly?" he asked her. "You're too tall to be a hobbit, and too short to be a human. And I know you're not a dwarf."

Cheyanne grinned at him. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, my king."

She started to pull away, but Thorin's grasp on her wrist tightened. "I've seen much and heard more," he told her. "Explain to me who you are you are and what you want with my company."

"Exactly what my cousin does not want, dear Thorin," responded Cheyanne. She leaned close and whispered, "Adventure!"

Thorin didn't let go of her wrist. Cheyanne let out a breath. "Dwarf, I will tell you what you want to know, but only when we are alone. Some of the others don't seem very accepting. They may even start to call me crazy."

"You don't fear me thinking you are crazy?" Thorin asked her.

She winked at him. "You say you've seen much and heard more, yes? I believe that this will fall into the "heard" category for you."

Thorin gazed at her for a moment longer, before he finally let go of her. "We will speak later."

"As you wish, my king," Cheyanne answered mockingly. She gave him a bow and exited the dining room and crossed the hall. She leaned in the archway of a sitting room just as Bilbo stood up. "I'm sorry, Gandalf, but you've chosen the wrong hobbit."

He walked towards Cheyanne and tilted his head at her as he passed. "Why don't you use her for both purposes? She seems more willing than I am." With that, he disappeared down the hall into his bedroom.

Cheyanne sighed and turned to Gandalf. The wizard was shaking his head sadly. "Shame. I thought the speech about his many greats uncle would be enough to stir him."

"It appears that was not the case," Cheyanne commented. She crossed the room and sank down in the armchair Bilbo had been sitting in.

Gandalf paced before her, deep in thought. "Perhaps you could serve the same purpose Bilbo would," he said at last.

"No!" Cheyanne answered quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. Gandalf looked at her, and she shook her head. "Bilbo has to come. Everything will change if he doesn't."

Gandalf merely nodded. "You're right, of course. He will come. I have faith in him."

"So do I," agreed Cheyanne.

Gandalf eyed her. "If you don't mind me asking, how is it you know so much?"

Cheyanne grinned. "Like the dwarves were saying; I can tell the future. I know how this journey ends, and for some, it's not a good one."

"Perhaps that will be your use," Gandalf mused. "Changing the poor outcome for some into a good one for all."

Cheyanne lifted her shoulders. "I need them to believe me first."

"Then that, my dear girl, will be your first job," Gandalf told her.

Thorin's voice came from the dining room, low and deep, as he began to sing. Cheyanne drifted across the hall back into the dining hall and watched him sing.

_"Far over the misty mountains cold._

_To dungeons deep and caverns old._

_We must away_

_'Ere break of day._

_To find our long forgotten gold."_

Cheyanne closed her eyes as the other dwarves joined their king, loving every second of this.

_"The pines were roaring on the height._

_The winds were moaning in the night._

_The fire was red_

_It flaming spread._

_The trees like torches blazed with light."_

(*)

Cheyanne woke up much too quickly and sighed in annoyance when she realized she was in her apartment. "Dammit," she muttered. "We were getting to the good part."

Shaking her head, she stretched her arms over her head. Her phone was vibrating angrily on the coffee table. She picked it up and saw she had several missed calls and text messages from Jon.

_Back from dream world yet?_

_Hallo? Miss Baggins? Anyone home?_

_Yo! Chey! Return to the real world?_

_Did you really leave me for some dwarves, a hobbit, and an old wizard?_

It was too late to call him back. He would be asleep. Instead, she shot him a quick message and retreated to her bedroom to type up the newest edition to her dream.

It took her longer to write this time, and she realized that it was two in in the morning when she finally saved the Notepad and printed it.

"Shit," she groaned, leaning back over her computer chair in a stretch. "This isn't good for me."

The papers finished printing, and she put them in her bag. To her surprise, she received a text from Jon. _What happened this time?_

_A lot more_, she answered, thumbs flying over the keypad. _Could you stood by later and read it?_

_For this? Hell yes. I'll be there at 1. In the PM._

Cheyanne rolled her eyes, typed, _Obviously_ and sent it.

Grunting, she stood and wandered to her bed, falling down in top of it. She didn't know what to make of her dreams. They seemed so real, yet, they had to just be dreams. There was no way they were real.

Right?

Cheyanne shook her head. She was starting to go a little crazy. How could a dream possibly be real? Especially one about something fictitious in the real world.

She rolled onto her back and gazed up at the ceiling. "Thorin Oakenshield," she mused aloud, pursing her lips. "I would like to get to know that dwarf better."

She wondered if he would believe her when she told him what he wanted to know. Surely, there was no way he could. The possibility of her story making any sense was slim.

Cheyanne wanted to fall asleep again, and return to her dream. She knew that wanting such a thing would most likely lead her to an even bigger issue than the one she was dealing with.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Whatever was happening would have to be over soon. If she was thinking back, she would have to say that the last time she'd had a string of dreams lasting over a week was when she was a hyperactive child. It couldn't go on much longer.

She was mainly worried about finishing whatever it was she had started writing.

Even though that was probably the last thing she should be worried about.

* * *

**Yep. She's not really worried about the fact that she's having funky dreams. She's worried she won't be able to finish her writing.**

**That's so... Cheyanne. **

**Sorry, OC connection moment. **

**Anyway, I'll be back on Wednesday, so don't... Get bored and leave, please. I love you. **


	3. AUJ - Wizards and Hobbits

**Back again! Unlike Cheyanne, who maybe won't go back. Again. **

**I should stop. **

* * *

Cheyanne woke up to the sound of Jon banging on her apartment door.

"Chey!" he called. "Please come open the door. People are out here."

Cheyanne stood, and stiffly walked from her bedroom to pull open her door. As soon as Jon saw her, he lifted an eyebrow.

"Were you asleep?" he asked, coming inside and shutting the door.

Cheyanne fell onto the couch and covered her eyes with her hands. It was too bright. "If you want to read it it's in my bag," she told Jon.

He disappeared and then came back into the living room, pages in hand. He picked up her legs and sat down on the couch before letting them fall onto his lap. Cheyanne waited in silence for him to read it.

A long time went by before Jon groaned in disappointment. "God dammit!" he exclaimed.

"I know," Cheyanne agreed. "That was me when I woke up." She felt Jon's eyes on her, and she lifted her arm to look at him through one squinted eye. "What?"

"You need some coffee," he decided. He shoved her legs off of the couch and stood, walking into her bedroom. "C'mon, Chey," he called. "Come get dressed. I'm not going to do it for you!"

She groaned and slothed her way into her room and stood in the closet doorway, waiting. Jon passed her a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, along with a sports bra.

"You're lucky I love you enough to route through your clothing and find undergarments," he said, walking passed her.

She stripped down to her underwear and pulled on the clothing, one article at a time. When she had finished, she slunk out of the room and found Jon waiting for her at the door. He handed her some flip flops, and she slid them on half-heartedly as he studied her.

"New rule," he said, "no dreaming until appropriate times, alright? Sloth Cheyanne isn't fun Cheyanne."

Cheyanne followed him silently out of the apartment building. He took her hand and led her down the street to the Bean Machine. There, he plunked her down at a table inside the air conditioned cafe and went to get them coffee and pastries before he returned with full arms.

"Caramel frap and a chocolate chip muffin," he announced, setting both down in front of her.

She sipped at the coffee and nibbled at the muffin, half asleep. Jon rolled his eyes at this pathetic display. "Wake up, Chey," he ordered. "I need to talk with you, and I can't when you aren't listening."

"I'm listening," she insisted. "I probably won't remember anything, though."

Jon sighed as she took another drink of her coffee. "You're a bit rude to Thorin," he commented after a moment. "Did you notice that?"

"Yep," she replied. "He isn't my king."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be respectful," responded Jon.

Cheyanne shrugged. "I don't know," she mumbled. "It's not like I'm controlling what I do in my dreams." Jon pursed his lips, and Cheyanne lifted an eyebrow. "You're not thinking-?"

"I don't know, Chey," he said. "Sounds like you're pretty much in control."

Cheyanne leaned back against her chair. "Well, that's a scary thought."

"I'm more frightened over the fact you remember everything," Jon said. "I never remember my dreams for longer than ten minutes or so."

Cheyanne took a bigger bite of her muffin. "I don't know, Jon," she sighed once she had swallowed. "Maybe we need to talk to Gary."

"You're working tomorrow, right?" She nodded, and Jon waved his hand. "So ask him tomorrow." He furrowed his brow. "Do you really think he'll know something?"

"I hope so," Cheyanne replied, picking up her coffee.

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'm going to go on hoping that it is merely a dream that I continuously keep remembering," she said, setting the cup down.

Jon gave her a look. "Chey, what if it isn't just a dream?" he asked. "What if it's something else?"

Cheyanne grinned at him. "Jon, you read too many books."

Her friend sighed and took a drink of his own coffee in response. Cheyanne shook her head and gazed out the window of the Bean Machine towards the street.

_More than a dream, _she mused silently. _Ridiculous._

Cheyanne actually went to bed at a normal time that night, and when she opened her eyes, she was standing next to a black and white pony, her hand against its neck. She patted it, grinning to herself.

"Miss Baggins." She turned at Thorin's voice, and saw the dwarf was strolling towards her, cloak swaying. She mock curtseyed, and he frowned in annoyance. "We must talk."

"Oh, must we?" she queried, pouting. "How unfortunate." Thorin glared at her, and she grinned. "Well, here we are. What do you need?"

"I want to know just what you think is going to happen before the end of the journey," demanded Thorin.

She pretended to ponder it for a moment. "Oh, I can see... Eagles... some trolls... Oh, and a hobbit saving you," she told him, opening her eyes and spitting off to the side. She reached forward and patted him on the shoulder. "I would suggest keeping on my cousin's good side, King Thorin."

He gazed up at her as she climbed onto her pony. "Is that all you're going to tell me?" he asked.

"I would like to think that's all you need to know of until you believe in my ability," she responded easily.

Thorin looked up at her a moment longer before he turned and stalked off towards his own pony. Cheyanne watched him go, grinning to herself. "He's something else," she decided under her breath.

"Cheyanne?" She jumped in the saddle at Gandalf's voice, and turned to see the wizard ride up beside her on a horse of his own. He gave her a look. "Are you sure Master Baggins is coming?"

She glanced past his shoulder and nodded. "Pretty positive."

Gandalf looked over his shoulder and laughed. Bilbo was running up the road, contract waving in the breeze. The wizard turned to look at Cheyanne. "You, my girl, are something else."

"Thank you, Mister Wizard," she replied gratefully. "I would like to think my skills are unmatched by anyone else in Middle-Earth."

"Wait!" Bilbo shouted, though it was unnecessary because they weren't moving. He stopped short one he had reached them, skidding to a halt beside Balin's horse. Grinning, he held up the contract. "I signed it."

Balin took it and pulled out a spectacle, giving Cheyanne a look. She lifted her shoulders, smiling. The dwarf held the spectacle up to his eye and studied the contract for a moment.

Cheyanne felt eyes on her, and she glanced in Thorin's direction. The dwarf was gazing at her with piercing blue eyes. She lifted her chin haughtily and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't believe her, and yet here Bilbo was, beaming up at Balin, pleased with himself.

Balin lowered the spectacle and returned Bilbo's grin. "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

As the other dwarves cheered Bilbo turned to look at Thorin. The dwarf prince turned his gaze from Cheyanne to look at Bofur. "Give him a pony."

Immediately, Bilbo shook his head. "Oh no, that won't be necessary, thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. Besides, I've walked quite a bit in my day, and- Augh!"

Bilbo is picked up off the ground and dropped onto Cheyanne's pony behind her. She grinned over her shoulder at him. "Welcome, coz!" she said cheerfully.

Bilbo gave her a look of desperation that turned to fear as their pony whinnied and tossed her head. Cheyanne laughed and turned forward again.

Ahead of them, Oin turned to Nori from the back of his own pony. "Come on, Nori. Pay up. Go on."

Nori sighed and tossed a sack of gold to him. More bags followed between the other dwarves; Cheyanne saw Gloin throw Kili a bag and he glowered over his shoulder at her. She grinned and waved at him cheekily as Gandalf rode up on his horse beside Bilbo and Cheyanne.

"What's that all about?" Bilbo asked him.

"Oh," Gandalf said, glancing sideways at him. "They took wages as to whether your cousin was right in saying you would show up."

"And what did you think?" Bilbo queried.

"Hmm," the wizard mused. He reached up to catch a sack that flew in his direction, laughing. "My dear fellow, I never doubted you or Cheyanne for a moment."

Bilbo sneezed loudly in response. Cheyanne glanced over her shoulder at him. "You all right?"

"I'm allergic to horse hair," he explained, sneezing again. She heard him shuffle around briefly, and then he sighed. "Stop!" he called rather loudly. "Stop! We have to turn around."

The dwarves pulled their horses to a halt, and Gandalf let out a breath. "What could possibly be the problem?" the wizard demanded.

Cheyanne reached into the pocket on her jeans, smiling when she felt the tissue she'd put in there before bed, just as a test. She hid the shakiness of her hand at the discovery. "Don't worry everyone!" she told them all, holding the tissue over her shoulder for Bilbo. "Everything's fine. We can keep going."

All the dwarves grumble to themselves and she heard one mutter "Witch, that's what she is."

Thorin shakes his head before ordering, "Move on."

Gandalf looked over at them as the party began to move along the path again. "You'll have to manage without what I'll assume is your pocket handkerchief, as well as great many things, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead."

The wizard urged his horse forward, and rode up the line of ponies. Bilbo grunted behind her, and Cheyanne looked over her shoulder. "What?"

"How did you know I would forget my pocket handkerchief?" he questioned, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

It was weird, looking at him so close and in person. Maybe Jon was more right about her looking like Martin Freeman than she had wanted to believe. Shaking away this thought, she gave her "cousin" another grin. "The same way I knew you'd sign the contract."

Bilbo frowned, a line in his forehead creasing. "And what way would that be?"

Cheyanne clicked her tongue. "Oh, cousin, I can't talk about my powers. I'll lose them if I give away too much information."

She winked and turned forward again, flicking the reins so that her pony picked up its pace. She broke into a quick trot, and Bilbo reached forward, holding onto Cheyanne's waist. She smirked when she felt his hands. "Come on, Bilbo. We aren't even going that fast!"

"Well, I'm sorry," he muttered in response. "I don't make a habit of riding ponies. Excuse me for living a secluded life."

Cheyanne shook her head and glanced around her. The trees rustled in the wind that blew through them and over the company. She closed her eyes and let out a breath. Even though it was supposed to be summer Middle-Earth, it was cool outside, much cooler than it was in Texas.

She opened her eyes again and glanced up the path to where Thorin was riding. She couldn't get over him, wearing his dammed royal garb and how nice he looked in it.

She grunted to herself, which caught Bilbo's attention.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What?"

He imitated her grunt. "That."

She grunted again and twisted the reins. "It was nothing. Forget about it."

Bilbo didn't want too. "What was it?"

She huffed under her breath. "I think Thorin looks good, alright?" she mumbled under her breath.

Bilbo leaned around her to get a better look at the dwarf. She reached back and smacked him on the head. "Ow!" the hobbit exclaimed, straightening up. "Why did you do that?"

"You don't look at him!" she said sharply. "What if he noticed?"

"If you two would please stop your bickering," Gloin complained from a few ponies ahead of them. "I'm trying to get a nap in. Your floor isn't the most comfortable, Mister Baggins."

"No, I wouldn't think so," Bilbo answered. "It isn't exactly meant for sleeping on."

This received a few scattered chuckles from the other dwarves. Gloin snorted himself and turned forward in his saddle. Cheyanne glanced briefly at Thorin. She saw that the dwarf had his eyes turned to this sky, though she couldn't tell if it was in annoyance or in amusement.

All the same, she had to look away. Bilbo leaned around her again for a brief moment. Cheyanne stiffened, but didn't hit him again.

"C'mon, Bilbo. Why do you care?" she muttered.

"I don't really understand it," he responded. "I've seen nicer. Besides, he's a dwarf."

"Your point?"

Bilbo shook his head and straightened up again. "This is going to be a long journey," he mumbled.

"One you'll be glad you came on by the end," Cheyanne told him. "I promise you that much."

A moment of silence passed between them. "So," Bilbo finally said, "you're my cousin?"

Cheyanne didn't hesitate. "Yep! Mighty proud of it, too. We Bagginses have to stick together."

"You're right," agreed Bilbo after a moment. "Those Sackville-Bagginses always try to get the better of us, but they can't."

Cheyanne grinned to herself and nodded. "They never will."

Gandalf slowed his horse to a walk until he was riding in line with them again. "Tell me," he began, glancing sideways at Cheyanne, "do you know what's waiting ahead?"

Cheyanne pursed her lips. "Nothing for a few days," she said slowly, "but we might have an issue further on. I can't tell for sure."

Gandalf made a noise that sounded like a sigh and a groan at the same time. He glanced up the path towards Thorin. "Have you spoken with him?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," Cheyanne responded. "I don't think he believes anything just yet, though."

"No, Thorin isn't the most trusting sort," Gandalf sighed.

"He has good reason," Cheyanne said, defending Thorin without thinking about it. "But he'll need to learn to trust if he's going to get anywhere with this journey."

Gandalf nodded slowly. "I imagine he will get there after some time," he said at last. He reached one hand into his bag and pulled out his pipe. Cheyanne watched as he skillfully loaded the pipe and lit it with one hand as well, and then lifted the tube and puffed on it.

"You must smoke your pipe a lot," she mused after watching him a moment longer.

Gandalf glanced sideways at her. "Yes, I suppose you can say that."

Bilbo sighed behind her. "I left my pipe back home," he said sadly.

"Your pipe wouldn't have fit anywhere," Gandalf teased. "I saw it yesterday; it's taller than you!"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Bilbo said shortly.

"Mm, I suppose," murmured Gandalf. He winked at Cheyanne, and she smiled in return.

"Gandalf," Thorin called from up ahead. "I would like to talk to you."

"Very well," Gandalf replied. He nodded to Cheyanne and Bilbo before riding on ahead. Cheyanne studied them as the wizard rode up beside Thorin. Thorin leaned between their horses and spoke to the wizard quietly. Gandalf shook his head in response. The dwarf visibly sighed and leaned back in his saddle.

"I wonder what that's about," Cheyanne said to herself.

"Don't know," answered Bilbo. "Thorin looks a little disappointed, though."

Cheyanne bit her lip, brow furrowing. "I don't like it," she told him.

"You don't know what it is for sure, then?" Bilbo asked her.

Cheyanne stiffened. She was supposed to know everything, and yet she only knew what happened in the movies and book. What was going to happen when someone asked her a question she didn't know the answer too?

Quickly, she stammered, "N-No... It must not be dreadfully important. If it was, I'd know."

"Cheyanne-" Bilbo began, but she cut him off, pointing towards somewhere off in the distance.

"Look at it all, Bilbo! Imagine what must be out here!" she breathed happily. "What an adventure we're going to have!"

Bilbo sighed behind her. "Yes, surely one to be remembered for long to come," he agreed quietly.

Cheyanne glanced at him over her shoulder. Bilbo was gazing downwards unhappily. She frowned. "If you're going to pout the whole time, why did you come?" she queried in annoyance.

She didn't think this was how unwilling Bilbo was at the start of the journey. All she remembered was how he joyously ran from the Shire, waving his contract in the air and exclaiming, "I'm going on an adventure!" Was this the same hobbit as she saw in the movie sitting behind her, his eyes downcast in gloom?

Bilbo let out another weary sigh. "I just- I'm already starting to wonder if I made the wrong decision," he admitted solemnly.

"Terrible thing to be doing," mused Cheyanne. "We just began."

"I know."

"So stop!" she exclaimed. "Come, coz. Trust me; we'll need you more than you'll ever begin to guess. And when this is all over, you can return to your books and armchair and garden. Sound like a plan?"

Bilbo lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Can you promise I'll come back?" he asked her.

Cheyanne let out a breath. "I can promise you that you'll return if you do everything you can to help these dwarves," she replied seriously, turning forward in the saddle. "You think you can do that?"

Bilbo remained silent. Cheyanne turned her gaze up the path to Thorin. She saw that he was looking over his shoulder in the direction of their pony. Her eyes met his, and she turned her head away, a blush creeping up the back her neck.

_What an adventure, indeed, _she thought, tugging on the collar of her shirt uncomfortably.

* * *

**Ah, I love the uncertain relationship between Cheyanne and Bilbo. It's my favorite. **

**Also. FCUKING FUCK WIGGS WHY ARE YOU MAKING CHEYANNE THINK ABOUT THORIN LIKE THAT YOU WEIRDO. THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE DOES.**

**Well, I'm sorry, but Thorin is just too damn attractive and kingly not to be attracted too, okay? Cheyanne likes that kinda power, I guess. 'Course, he's also a rude, stubborn goof, but hey. A lot of people are like that at first. **

**You gotta get past that rough barrier into their heart, yo. **

**Also, the story has a follower that does ASoIaF and/or GoT things with their pen name. I appreciated seeing that. **

**L+R=J amirite?**


	4. AUJ - Wait, It Really Isn't a Dream?

**I don't really think this chapter is the best one I've ever written, but it's longer than Wednesday's chapter. **

**I think. **

**Fuck it, I have followers to please. Here you go. **

* * *

The company made good time, they made it to a cave in the side of a hill a few miles outside of the Old Forest. This is where Thorin decided to make camp.

Cheyanne slid off of Myrtle and helped Bilbo down before passing the pony off to Kili. The young dwarf grinned at her. "Some first day, hmm?"

She stretched her arms over her head. "I hope I'm not sore tomorrow," she told him.

Kili laughed and led Myrtle away. Cheyanne smiled and gazed around at the company. Dori and Nori were attempting to get a fire going while Bombur searched through packs for food to cook. Others were rolling out sleeping pads within the cave, and Fili and Kili were taking care of the horses just outside of it.

Thorin, Gandalf, and Balin were standing near the entrance of the cave, talking over Thorin's map. Cheyanne scooted closer so she could hear what they were saying.

"Thorin, we must go to someone who can find the secret in this map," Gandalf was encouraging quietly when she approached.

The dwarf sent a contemptuous glare in the wizard's direction. "We do not need help," he growled. "This is our quest, my map. I don't want anyone to find out what we aim to do."

"With all due respect, Gandalf, he is right," Balin said. "This map is Dwarven, and that means it's for us dwarves."

"You dwarves are getting nowhere with this map," Gandalf told them. "You need help."

"I can tell you what the secret is," Cheyanne spoke up before she could think about it. All three of them turned to look at her, and she sheepishly crossed one leg over the other. "If you want me too, of course."

Thorin was the first to say something in response. "You couldn't possibly know anything about this map."

Cheyanne fumed. "The reason you can't find anything is because you're not looking right," she muttered. She then turned and stalked off, angry.

"Cheyanne," Gandalf called after her, but she ignored the wizard, plunking down beside the fire the dwarves had managed to get started.

Dwalin sat down beside her and took a long drink from the wine skin he was holding. "You certainly don't look happy," he commented.

"I'm not," she mumbled. "Your king is rude."

Dwalin chuckled. "Yes, but so are you." He offered her the skin, but she shook her head. He took another drink for himself and gave her a friendly pat on the back. "Give him a bit; he'll warm up to ya after a time."

Cheyanne scoffed and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I doubt it," she said softly, gazing into the flames.

"Miss Baggins." Cheyanne heard Balin, and she glanced in his direction for a brief moment.

"What?"

"I understand that Thorin may have sounded harsh," Balin said gently, "but it was only because the chances of you knowing anything about the map for sure are very slim. You understand that, yes?"

"Except I do know about the map," Cheyanne told him coolly. "Unfortunately, Thorin appears to think what I know is useless and untrustworthy, so I'm afraid I can't help you."

Balin sighed but didn't say anymore. She saw him walk off from the corner of her eye, and Dwalin watch him go before he looked at her.

"You really are angry, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Cheyanne exclaimed hotly. "I came on this journey to offer my help, and nobody wants it. Why am I here if the purpose I can serve is wasted on a company that doesn't want it?"

"So far, I've only seen Thorin say he didn't want your strange foretellings," Dwalin said. "Nobody else seems unappreciative."

Cheyanne lifted her head and looked around at the other dwarves. Dori was frowning and muttering something to Gloin, but Oin and a few of the others were counting the money they had made in the bet about her judgment on Bilbo's arrival. Oin felt her gaze and looked up. He grinned and waved a coin at her happily.

Dwalin glanced at her. "You see? You're already making friends."

Cheyanne allowed a small smile and bumped against Dwalin's shoulder with her own. "You're not too terrible," she told him.

He shrugged. "Never thought I was."

Bilbo sat down on her other side with a groan. She lifted an eyebrow at the noise. "Hurting?"

"All over the place," Bilbo confirmed. He huffed and stared into the fire for a long time before finally speaking again: "Cheyanne is a bit of an unusual name."

She snorted. "I had unusual parents," she told him. "Nothing would change their minds."

"I like it." Fili and Kili sat down nearby, and the older of the two smiled at her. "It's pretty."

His brother tugged on one of Fili's braids. "You mean like these things?"

Fili pulled his hair from Kili's fingers. "At least I try to look presentable," he said. "Meanwhile, you're sitting here with your hair out and tangled."

Kili self-consciously touched his hair. "It's not tangled!" He sent a look over at Cheyanne. "Is it?"

She shook her head. "You're fine."

Kili haughtily turned to his brother, but Fili was no longer paying attention. Cheyanne shrugged when he looked over at her, and the young dwarf rolled his eyes and rested his head on his arms.

Cheyanne leaned back on the sleeping mat, putting her weight on her elbows. _One day with them and I'm already getting attached, _she thought sadly. _What am I going to do when my dreams stop, or when I have to say goodbye to them because the story has ended?_

She shook her head to pull herself out of her thoughts. Bilbo was attempting to hand her a bowl, and she took it hesitantly. Gazing over the brim, she saw a thick brown stew looking back up at her.

She leaned across their mats to Bilbo. "I think my stew has a face," she whispered.

Bilbo snorted, and in turn started to choke on the swallow he had just taken. He coughed roughly, and Cheyanne took his bowl so he wouldn't spill, laughing. Bilbo coughed a few more times before he cleared his throat. Cheyanne lifted her arm up and wiped her teary eyes on her sleeve before handing the bowl back to Bilbo.

"Sorry," she apologized with a final giggle.

He shook his head and grinned. "It wasn't even that funny."

"I know; that's why I was laughing. My joke was so bad it almost killed you," responded Cheyanne.

On her other side, Dwalin let out a laugh of his own. "That one was funny," he told her.

Cheyanne grinned and took a small swallow of her own stew. It actually wasn't that bad. She took a longer drink and allowed herself to look at Thorin. The dwarf was leaning against the wall of the cave, his own sleeping mat pulled away from everyone else's. He stared out over the company with a steeled face, so she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Cheyanne turned her eyes away before he caught her looking at him. That was the last thing she needed. She turned her gaze instead to Bilbo. The hobbit had set down his bowl, half empty, and was lying down on his sleeping mat, staring into the fire.

She leaned towards him again and whispered, "I would finish that. There's going to be a point in the future when you wish you had food."

Bilbo shifted his eyes to her, and she nodded. He sighed and sat up again, picking up the bowl once more. Cheyanne smiled as he took a sip, and she lifted her bowl to her own lips.

The dwarves finished their stew quickly, and many pulled out pipes to smoke. Gandalf wasn't left out; he was the only one that sent smoke rings out of the cave and into the air.

When everyone had finished eating, the company sat in a silence, comfortable. After a long time, however, Bofur turned to Cheyanne.

"So, when exactly did you get your powers?" he queried curiously.

The others all looked at her as well, and she felt her cheeks get warm. She glanced down at the ground with a nervous laugh. "Uhm, it was about three years ago," she replied, deciding to base it off of the movie release dates. "That's when I noticed it. It wasn't very..." She trailed off, searching for a word.

"Prominent?" offered Gandalf.

"There you go," she said gratefully, nodding at the wizard.

"What's it like?" Nori asked, even though his brother gave him a look of annoyance.

Cheyanne shifted her eyes to the fire. "It's like... Flashes of things. Sometimes they're crystal clear and other times they're fuzzy. If I'm lucky, I can get a grip on it and watch it for a longer time."

She was completely making this up, of course, but the dwarves murmured amongst themselves curiously. She felt a familiar feeling gaze on her, but she didn't turn to meet it.

"So," Ori said, interrupting the chatter, "you know if we kill the dragon, then?"

They all looked at her, and she shrugged. "Smaug dies. As for who kills him, I cannot say."

A ripple of excitement rose through the dwarves. "I bet it'll be Dwalin" someone called.

"I'll double that bet on one of Kili's arrows!" another answered.

"You both are wrong," a third said. "It'll be Thorin who takes down the beast, no doubt."

Arguments rose as they began to take bets on who they thought would kill Smaug. Ori, who was designated bet-keeper, was struggling to keep all the sacks of coins thrown at him in order. Dwalin glanced sideways at Cheyanne. "You entertain them, if nothing else," he said.

"'Suppose I do," she answered. "But I don't think any of them are correct."

Dwalin frowned. "You don't?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "Just a feeling," she admitted.

Dwalin hmphed and rose. "I think I'll place my own bet, then," he said, heading towards Ori.

Cheyanne lay back on her mat, gazing up at the roof of the cave. Fire reflected on the stone, turning it orange. She let out a breath and closed her eyes in exhaustion. It had been a long day of traveling.

As soon as she fell asleep in Middle-Earth, however, she woke up in Texas to the sound of her alarm clock, buzzing two hours before it normally did. She had set it early so she would be able to write out her dream before she had to get ready for work.

Cheyanne groaned and rolled over, hitting the button. The last thing she wanted to do was get up. She was still sleepy, which didn't make sense whatsoever. She had gone to bed at a formidable time; there was no reason why she shouldn't feel more awake.

Moaning, she went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth before wandering back into her bedroom and plunking down in front of the computer. She struggled to keep her fingers on the keyboard, and it took her longer than it should have to write out the important parts of last night's dream. When she finally finished and was printing it out, she only had thirty minutes to get ready.

She quickly pushed the writing into her bag and scurried to get dressed. She had to go to work so she could talk to Gary about the dreams.

Within minutes, she was scurrying down the street of her small town, bag slung over her shoulder. She made it to Dreamer's with two minutes to spare, and she stopped as soon as she entered, resting her hands on her knees and taking several deep breaths.

Gary was standing behind the counter, and he gave her an honest look of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't know," responded Cheyanne between breaths. "I think so." She straightened up and held out her bag.

Gary took it hesitantly. "Is there something in here I should be afraid of?"

"Not unless you're afraid of my writing," Cheyanne told him. "Two new installments ready to be read."

Gary shook his head and pulled the loose papers from her bag and turned to go into the back room to read it. Cheyanne hesitated a moment.

"G." He paused and looked at her. "I'm gonna need to talk to you when you're done."

Gary frowned, but nodded once. "Man the counter until I come back."

He disappeared through the door, and Cheyanne walks around to the other side of the counter to take her place behind the register. The bell over the door chimed, and Cheyanne looked up, expecting a customer, but it was only Jon.

He grinned at her and walked over to the counter. "Is he reading it?" he queried, nodding to the door.

"Yeah," Chey replied.

"And have you brought up the possibility of your dream being real?" Cheyanne gave him a look, and Jon huffed. "No. I should've guessed."

"I want him to read it first, so he can judge it for himself," Cheyanne mumbled, casting a glance over her shoulder. She turned back to Jon and gnawed on her lip. "I did a bit of a test, to see if you were right."

"And?" Jon asked enthusiastically.

"I wore jeans to bed, and I put a tissue in the pocket before I feel asleep." He nodded, and she let out a breath. "When I got to Middle-Earth, it was still in there."

"Oh my God," Jon breathed. "This is insane, Chey."

"I know!" she exclaimed. "I don't know whether to be freaked out or amazed. Right about now, I'm a little bit of both."

Jon leaned turned around and leaned back against the counter. "I- I don't know what to say," he said at last. "I'm terrified."

"Okay, can we not talk about it until Gary is done reading?" she asked him as a costumer came into the store. "I don't want people thinking I'm crazy."

"I already do, so, I guess that's enough for now," Jon agreed. He joined her behind the counter, and together, they took care of the shop for the forty-five minutes Gary was gone. When he finally emerged, Cheyanne was standing near a bookshelf and Jon was playing with the little table top bell on the counter.

The sound of the door shutting drew Cheyanne's attention, and she looked up. Gary was shaking his head, holding the papers in one hand. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as Chey hurried over to the counter.

She leaned across it. "Well?"

"It seems it's starting out slow," Gary told her, "but that's to be expected."

Cheyanne and Jon exchanged a glance. "What do you mean?" she asked the old man.

"I mean that with the direction you seem to be going, it's good to ease into the story," he replied. "This isn't some random piece of writing you have here, Cheyanne; this is Tolkien."

Cheyanne swallowed. "You're right, I guess," she said quietly. Jon shot her a look, and she shifted her eyes back to Gary. "Uh, G? Can we talk about that thing?"

He looked around the store to make sure there were no waiting customers before he nodded. "Quickly."

Cheyanne let out a breath. "I… I don't think it's just dreams I'm having, Mr. Hoffman," she mumbled. "I think they're real."

Gary's eyebrows furrowed. He glanced around the shop once more before he gestured to the door. "We're closed," he said to Jon. "Go flip the sign and lock the door." He went to do just that, and Gary leaned across the counter towards Cheyanne. "What are you talking about?" he asked her as Jon came back.

"Well, Jon noticed that I was being rude to Thorin, and I said that it wasn't me, it was dream me. Jon came up with this insane idea that maybe I was actually controlling what I did in my dreams. I thought it was crap at first, but I decided to test his theory last night." Gary continued to stare at her. "I went to sleep in jeans, and in the jean pocket I put-"

"The tissue," Gary finished. Cheyanne nodded slowly, and the bookstore owner shook his head. "I don't know what to think of this," he said under his breath.

"You think you're confused?" Cheyanne cried. "I'm the one having the dreams, G! I'm scared for my life!"

"Calm down, Cheyanne," soothed Jon as he put an arm around her shoulders. "Nothing can happen to you in your dreams."

"Isn't it apparent by now that they aren't dreams?" Chey demanded. Her shoulders shook, and she sucked back tears that had decided to appear from nowhere. "I don't... What do I do?"

"Cheyanne," Gary said. She looked at him, and saw that he was playing with the papers. "I think you need to finish this out," he told her.

"What?" She was shell-shocked; from Jon, this was expected, but from Gary? He was the most down to Earth person she knew, and yet he was telling her she should let whatever was happening in her mind run its course?

He nodded. "I know, I sound crazy, but I'm being serious. I don't think you have any other choice. Besides, these... Occurrences might mean something."

"They mean I watch _The Hobbit_ too damn much," she muttered.

"Could be that," agreed Gary, "but it could also be something else."

"What do you mean?" Jon asked him.

"Dreams hold a person's deepest thoughts and wishes, Mr. Davenport," Gary replied. He looked at Cheyanne. "They often reveal what a person wants or needs the most."

Cheyanne narrowed her eyes. "You think I _want_ to be a part of all that?"

"Perhaps," Mr. Hoffman said. "Or perhaps you need to be a part of it."

That dropped a stone into her stomach. "You don't really think-?"

Gary held up his hand. "I don't know what to think, Miss. Phillips," he sighed. "I do know one thing, though, and that is that you need to take a week or so off and just... Sleep."

Jon glanced at her. "Maybe if you finish the plot line for the first movie, you'll stop having them," he suggested.

Gary didn't look like he agreed, but he nodded all the same. Cheyanne let out a tired groan and covered her face with her hands for a brief moment.

She was going to have to try, she decided. What other choice did she have? She needed to get to the end, and then the dreams would stop, and she could go back to feeling awake even when she slept for eight hours.

She lowered her hands and nodded. "Alright," she said determinedly. "I guess I'm off to Erebor."

Jon grinned. "You're going on an adventure," he said jokingly.

Cheyanne didn't return the smile.

* * *

**Well. That was... Quick. What chapter is this, even? Four? **

**Ah, well, you know what they say. When you're uploading a FanFiction for three different sections of one movie, you gotta move it along. I still have two more FanFictions after we finish _An Unexpected Journey,_ so by the end, _Maybe I Won't Go Back Again _might have like... Fourty chapters or something. **

**Thank you to everyone who's been hoping on this gravy train with me. I really appreciate it. **

**Let's see how the remainder of Chey's journey goes, eh?**


	5. AUJ - A Time of Trolls

**Y'know, I like you guys. You're cute. So I'm going to give you a chapter on Monday because I have some free time. **

**Thank you for being you. Really. **

**Heart sign.**

* * *

In the end, Cheyanne took a week off of work. She would go home and not worry about anything else until she'd finished her dreams.

Gary had walked her and Jon too the door. He'd given her a small nod of encouragement before disappearing back into Dreamer's.

Jon walked with her back to her apartment, and she gave him her spare key. "As a precaution."

Jon took it and stared at her a long moment. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked her.

Cheyanne lifted one shoulder. "I'm gonna try." She entered her apartment and shut the front door, locking it. For a brief second, she leaned against it to calm herself down. She had never been this nervous to go into the dream before, but she hadn't know it was real those other times.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned away from the door and walked around the apartment to make sure all electronics were off. She then changed into comfortable but sensible clothing: jeans, a plain white shirt, and her leather jacket. She pulled on a pair of boots as well and yanked out the plug on her alarm clock. It wouldn't do her any good where she was going.

With a final sigh, she flopped down on the bed, swallowed two sleeping pills, and was asleep in an instant.

Instead of waking in the cave she'd fallen asleep in, Chey was instead under the overlook on the ledge somewhere in the Weathered Hills. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall. Most of the dwarves around her were fast asleep.

Fili and Kili were the only exceptions; probably on watch. Gandalf was also awake, gazing out over the dark valley as clouds poofed up out of his pipe.

Cheyanne glanced towards the sound of a pony whinny. She saw Bilbo scurrying back from where the horses were tied up. He almost passed her without seeing her, but stopped and slowly turned his head in her direction. He jumped up when he saw her.

"You scared me!" he whispered, putting a hand over his heart.

"I didn't tell you to look over here," she whispered back.

Bilbo sighed and was about to sit down on his vacant mat when suddenly a scream came from somewhere in the darkness. They both turned towards the valley, and Cheyanne saw Bilbo's throat clench in fear.

He glanced down at Cheyanne. "What was that?"

Kili responded for her. "Orcs." Bilbo turned to the brothers as another scream came to them.

Cheyanne noticed Thorin jerk awake at the word. "Orcs?" Bilbo whispered hoarsely.

"Throat-cutters," Fili said in disgust. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with 'em."

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone is asleep," Kili went on, gazing up at Bilbo. "Very quiet and quick; no noise other than screams and lots of blood."

Cheyanne saw Bilbo flinch. Fili and Kili tried to keep straight faces, but they broke down into chuckles.

Thorin rose from his sleeping mat and stalked over to them. "You think that's funny?" he asked his nephews, who had stopped laughing at their uncle's approach. "You think a night raid by Orcs is something to laugh at?"

The younger dwarves turned their gazes to the ground. "We didn't mean anything by it," Kili said quietly, embarrassed.

"No, you didn't," Thorin agreed. "You know nothing of the world." He walked past them to the edge of the ledge and gazed out over the valley.

The other dwarves had also stirred at the noises, and Balin casted a glance towards Thorin before he said, "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs."

Kili nodded in understanding, but Cheyanne could tell he still felt bad.

"Why?" Bilbo asked cautiously.

Balin turned to look at him. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to take back the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. Our enemy had gotten there first."

Cheyanne glanced over at Thorin as Balin settled against the wall for his tale. "Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs led by the vilest of all: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin, and he began by beheading the king."

Cheyanne saw Thorin bow his head at the memory. She could see the flashback from the movie in her head; Azog tossed Thror's decapitated head on the ground and it rolled to a younger Thorin's feet. The young prince let out a cry of rage and sadness.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing; dead or captured, we didn't know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us," Balin continued. He looked towards Thorin as well. "That's when I saw him. The young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against the Orc, his armor wrent, wielding nothing but an oaken tree branch as a shield."

Cheyanne saw the understanding flicker across Bilbo's face. "What happened then?" the hobbit asked, enthralled.

Balin smiled. "What do you think happened?"

"He cut off the Pale Orc's arm," Fili said before Bilbo could reply.

Balin gave the younger dwarf a small glare, but didn't say anything. "Yes, Thorin managed to cut off Azog's arm, and the mass of Orcs weakened at the defeat of their leader. Azog, the Defiler learned that day the line of Durin would not so easily be broken. Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs the back. We had defeated our enemy."

This was the point in the tale when Balin frowned and his tone changed. "But there was no feast that night, no songs sung. The death count was beyond mere grief. Only we few survived." Balin again looked towards Thorin, and Cheyanne saw the other dwarves slowly rise to stand as well. "I saw Thorin again, and he truly looked like a leader. I knew then that there was one I could follow. There was someone I could call king."

Thorin turned slowly and looked at the other dwarves, who were all looking at him in awe. He walks by all of them towards the fire.

Bilbo watched him go and turned to Balin. "A-and the Pale Orc? What happened to him?"

It was Thorin that responded. "That scum slunk back into the hole he came from. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Cheyanne snorted. "If only that were true," she muttered under her breath.

The dwarves all turned to look at her. Gandalf furrowed his brow, and Thorin walked over to her, frowning. "What are you speaking of?" he growled lowly.

Cheyanne glared up at him. "It's not like you would believe me even if I told you. What could I possibly know about the Orcs?" she mocked, crossing her arms.

Thorin narrowed his eyes dangerously, but Dwalin said, "Thorin." The dwarf's jaw clenched, and he looked at Cheyanne.

"Tell me."

Cheyanne looked around at the others. Even if Thorin didn't believe her, they would. She looked back up at Thorin. "Fine, but only because you asked so nicely." Thorin clenched his fist as she stood and gazed at all of them. "The Pale Orc is not dead. He's been tracking you this whole time, and, this is the best part, his lackeys have found you and are running to tell their leader right now."

Thorin glared at her. "You're lying. I took his arm myself; he was in no state to return to full health."

"Well, his arm has become his sword, and in the other hand he carries different weapons depending on how he wants to kill someone," Cheyanne said calmly. "Believe it or not, that's your choice. I'm only telling you the truth."

"Thorin?" Ori asked quietly.

He studied Cheyanne for a long time. He then turned to the company. "There is no reason to worry about Orcs. No one knows about our journey aside from us, and no one is looking for us."

"Shouldn't we at least take some heed to Cheyanne's warning?" Nori asked his brother. Cheyanne expected Dori to scoff, but he instead looked around at the others with a nod.

Bofur turned to Thorin. "Maybe I'm stepping out of place, but I believe her," he said. "We should be careful."

"We are," replied Thorin. "There are no Orcs for us to worry about, so don't. We are fine."

Cheyanne rolled her eyes, which Thorin didn't see. Balin did, however, and the old dwarf bowed his head to her in apology. She shrugged as a response and sat back down on her mat. It was Thorin's fault when the Orcs finally cornered them in the woods outside the troll hoard.

Bilbo ducked by the dwarves and sat down next to her. "Really?"

She nodded, and Bilbo gazed worriedly up at Thorin. He didn't return the hobbit's look, and instead turned to face the others.

"As I said, we will not worry about it," he repeated firmly. "Now, we still have a few hours before the sun rises, and I suggest you all get as much sleep as you can. We have a long day of traveling ahead of us."

That was the end of it, it seemed, because Thorin returned to his own sleeping mat and settled down on it. The other dwarves murmured to one another as they did the same, and soon, the whole area was filled with whispering dwarves.

Cheyanne rolled onto her back. There was no swaying Thorin when he made up his mind. She should have known that about his character by now. All the same, she wanted to try and change whatever she could.

That was going to very difficult when the mind she needed to change the most was as stubborn as a mule.

The next day was indeed a long day of traveling, as was the next. Her mind didn't wake up in Texas after she fell asleep in Middle-Earth, so Cheyanne was awoken at the butt-crack of dawn on both days by Bilbo.

After they had packed up camp, they mounted and were on their way out of the Weathered Hills. Many of the dwarves rode along Cheyanne and Bilbo as time passed, asking questions about the Orcs that were following them.

The most worried seemed to be Gloin, which surprised her. He rode up between every dwarf that came to her, nervous. "Are they going to catch us?"

"Yes."

"When are they going to catch us?"

"Soon, but they don't do much more than frighten us."

"Are we very much in danger?"

That question she left unanswered.

The first night of travel was spent in silence. The dwarves either didn't want to talk about Cheyanne's warning in fear Thorin would be angry, or they had simply decided it was useless to talk about it at all. Cheyanne was aware of the looks they gave her, however, and she was upset that there wasn't more she could do to help them.

She wasn't annoyed with the questions by the end of the second day of travel when Thorin called for a halt outside an abandoned farmhouse; she was annoyed that answering them wasn't going to do anything. As long as Thorin was being stubborn, the outcome would remain the same. And it seemed none of the dwarves were willing to try and talk to Thorin about the Orc problem.

Balin didn't let her attempt go unappreciated, however. The old dwarf approached her as she helped Bilbo off of Myrtle. "I'm sorry about Thorin," he apologized.

"Don't say sorry for him, Balin," Cheyanne replied. "He has a tongue, and it's working perfectly well, apparently. He can apologize to me himself."

Balin dipped his head in understanding. "I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate the warning, and if Thorin was willing to hear me, I would try to convince him."

Cheyanne gave him a grin. "Ah, but he isn't willing, is he?" Balin hesitated briefly before slowly shaking his head. She shrugged. "Well then, there's nothing to be done about it, is there?"

"We will camp here for the night." Thorin's order came from near the ruined farmhouse, and all the dwarves turned to look at him. Cheyanne merely rolled her gaze up to the sky. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

Cheyanne glanced at Gandalf, who was gazing into the ruins. He didn't look happy about the prospect of staying there that night. She also wondered if he was still sore over the comment Bilbo had made yesterday afternoon about Gandalf not being that great of a wizard as they were getting rained on.

"A farmer and his family used to live here," she heard the wizard murmur to himself.

"Oin, Gloin," Thorin said.

"Aye?" Gloin queried, looking up from his tobacco pouch.

"Get a fire going," ordered Thorin.

"Right you are," Gloin replied, shoving the pouch back into his pocket. He tugged on his brother's ear horn and gestured to a clear space on the ground.

"I think it would be wiser to move on," said Gandalf, turning away from the ruins at last. He looked at Thorin. "We could make for the Hidden Valley."

Cheyanne saw the cold look Thorin gave him. "I have told you already that I will not go near that place," he growled.

"And why not?" Gandalf queried. "The Elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice." The last word was said with some emphasis. "Since you seem to be refusing other advice."

Thorin flinched at that, and Cheyanne allowed herself a haughty grin. "I do not need anyone's advice," the dwarf said darkly.

"We have a map that we cannot read, and the person who can read it you won't let touch it. Lord Elrond could help us," Gandalf insisted.

Thorin's eyes narrowed. "Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrated our sacred halls, and the Elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather _and_ betrayed my father."

Gandalf glanced up at the sky briefly. "You are neither of them," he said calmly. "I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past."

Thorin eyed the wizard coolly. "I did not know that they were yours to keep."

Gandalf let out a _humph_ and stomped away from the dwarf, past Cheyanne and Bilbo. Bilbo trailed after him, asking, "Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," Gandalf replied hotly.

"Who's that?" Bilbo queried.

"Myself, Mister Baggins!" Gandalf shouted. As he walked off, Cheyanne heard him mutter, "I've had enough of dwarves for one day."

Thorin completely ignored the fact that they had lost their wizard and turned to Bombur. "Come on, Bombur. We're hungry." The two of them turned to the fire that Oin and Gloin had gotten started.

Bilbo looked first at Cheyanne, and then at Balin. "Is Gandalf going to come back?"

Balin glanced at Cheyanne, who nodded to the hobbit. "He'll come back, don't you worry."

Bilbo looked slightly more reassured at her words, but all the same walked away a little jumpy. Cheyanne then turned to Balin. "He should come back, anyway."

The old dwarf shook his head and walked off. Cheyanne sighed and leaned against Myrtle's side for a brief moment. "This isn't fun, girl," she said to the pony.

Myrtle whickered in response.

"Cheyanne, will you bring her over her for me, please?" Fili called from near the other ponies.

Cheyanne took Myrtle's reins and lead her over to him. Fili gave her a grateful smile and took the lead from her. "Thank you," he said. He then shot a glance towards his uncle. "Listen, I'm sorry about him."

"Oh, how many apologies am I going to get for Thorin without one actually coming from him?" Cheyanne queried in fake annoyance.

"I really am, though," Fili insisted. "I know you won't get one from him, and Thorin's known to be a little untrustworthy."

"Stubborn is the word that come to my mind, but we can use untrustworthy if you like," responded Cheyanne. She winked at the dwarf and strolled away, aware of his eyes watching her as she walked off.

She settled down next to Dwalin on the opposite side of the fire from the ponies. Dwalin gave her a sideways look. Cheyanne held up her hand. "Don't you try apologizing, too. I will end you."

Dwalin laughed. "I wasn't going to," he assured her. "I was just going to ask why you keep trying to help Thorin when it's clear he isn't going to take it."

Cheyanne gazed into the fire. "You know, I don't get it, either. I mean, he's being so… Rude, yes? Why would I want to help him in his quest? I'm not gaining anything from it, and, as you said, it's apparent he doesn't want me to help. Why am I here, then?"

"Isn't that a question for me to ask you?" Dwalin asked her.

"I don't know," replied Cheyanne. "I don't really know the answer."

Night fell quickly, and soon it was very dark. The only light came from the fire that they were all seated around, enjoying the soup Bombur had prepared. Bilbo kept glancing towards the space where Gandalf had disappeared.

"He's been a long time," he finally said.

Bofur looked up from the pot he was ladling soup out of. "Who?"

"Gandalf," Bilbo replied, looking towards the darkness again.

"Oh, Bilbo, he's a wizard. He does as he chooses." He finishes ladling the soup. "Here, do us a favor," he said, passing the two bowls he was holding to Bilbo, "and take this to the lads."

Bilbo walked off to where Kili and Fili were with the ponies. Cheyanne frowned, knowing exactly what was going to go on once he got there.

Dwalin noticed her expression. "What's that look for?" he queried.

Cheyanne shook her head. "I-I don't know," she said, feigning uncertainty, "but I don't like it." She set down her bowl and started to go after Bilbo.

"And where are you going?" Thorin asked her.

She stopped and stiffly looked over her shoulder at him. "To find out what's going on," she said coldly. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, there's something wrong." She started to walk again, and then paused, tossing, "Be sure to bring your weapons," over her shoulder before she continued.

She ran into Fili and Kili as they were hurrying back up the path towards the ponies. She held out her hands to stop them. "What is going on?" she hissed under her breath.

"Trolls," Kili replied breathlessly. "They took four of the ponies, and Bilbo's trying to get them back. We're going for help."

Cheyanne let out a fake sigh of exasperation. "Hurry up, then," she said, stepping aside. The dwarves continued along, and Cheyanne cautiously walked the way they had come from, being careful to keep silent.

She crouched down as she neared the trolls' campsite and gazed up over a fallen log at them.

One of the trolls was complaining. "I'm starving! Are we 'aving horse tonight or what?"

Another troll pointed a giant ladle at him. "Shut your cakehole. You'll eat what I give ya."

They were giant, ugly things, Cheyanne saw, exactly like in the movie. They wore nothing but ragged brown loincloths, and the third troll reaches around behind him and withdraws a huge handkerchief. At his movement, Cheyanne spots Bilbo standing behind him near where the ponies are being kept.

He reached for the giant knife on the troll's belt, and Cheyanne sucked in a breath as she watched.

"How come 'e's the cook? Everything tastes the same," the first troll complained. "Everything tastes like chicken."

"Except the chicken," the one with the handkerchief added.

"That tastes like fish!" finished the first.

"I'm just saying, a little appreciation would be nice," the cook exclaimed. He stirred the mixture in the pot as Cheyanne watched Bilbo once again reach for the knife. "'Thank you very much, Bert.' 'Lovely stew, Bert.' How hard is that?" Bert sips some stew from the ladle. "Hmm, it needs a sprinkle of squirrel dung."

Cheyanne saw Bilbo hesitate at that, and miss his opportunity as the troll he was attempting to steal from picked up a mug. Bert glares at him from over the giant fire.

"Hey, that's my grog!" he shouted.

"Sorry, sorry," the third troll muttered. Bert hit him with the ladle all the same, and he falls over, almost crushing Bilbo, but the hobbit moved out of the way just in time. Cheyanne waved an arm to try to get his attention, but had to put it back down at Bert turned in her direction.

He dipped the ladle in the soup and tasted it. "Perfectly balanced, that is." He held the ladle out to the first troll, who gulped it down. "Wrap your-" Cheyanne wrinkled her nose at the word. "- around that, mate. Eh? Good, right? Heheheh, that's why I'm the cook."

The third troll had gotten up at this point, and Cheyanne held her breath as Bilbo reaches for the knife again. The troll stood however, and scratched his rear end. Bilbo wrinkles his nose in disgust, and Cheyanne stuck out her tongue.

The first dwarf grumbled something to himself as the third reached for his handkerchief. Cheyanne gulped as he grabbed Bilbo instead and sneezed on him. Bilbo noticed Cheyanne just before, and she could merely give him a look of desperation as he is covered in snot.

"Argh!" the troll shouted. "Blimey! Bert! Look what's come out of me 'ooter! It's got arms and legs and everything."

The other two trolls gathered around him and gazed down at Bilbo, blocking Cheyanne's view. "What is it?" the first one asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like the way it wriggles around," the third replied. Bilbo falls to the ground in front of them, and Cheyanne watched as he stood, covered in snot and leaves.

"What are you, then?" queried the first. "An oversized squirrel?"

"I'm a burglar- uh, hobbit," Bilbo stammered. Cheyanne slammed a hand against her forehead.

"A burgla-hobbit?" the third exclaimed in confusion.

"Can we cook 'im?" the first questioned greedily.

"We can try!" the third responded. He attempted to grab Bilbo, but the hobbit dodged. Bert cornered him, however, and held out his hand.

"He ain't gonna be much when he's skinned and boned," he said, looking down at Bilbo.

"Maybe there's more of 'em," the first troll suggested, looking around. Cheyanne ducked as his gaze passed over her hiding spot. "Might be enough for a pie."

"Grab him!" Bert ordered as Bilbo dodged again.

"It's too quick!" the third cried, missing him by a hair.

Bilbo ran around in circles, dodging this way and that. Cheyanne risked throwing a rock at the first one, but missed. Bert hit the third in the face with his ladle while he's attempting to catch Bilbo, who is picked up the by the first.

"Gotcha!" he said, holding Bilbo up by his legs. "Now tell me, are there any more of you little fellas 'iding where you shouldn't?"

Bilbo, thankfully, didn't look in her direction. "Nope."

"He's lying," the third said, rubbing his nose.

"No I'm not!" Bilbo exclaimed.

"Hold his toes over the fire," suggested the third, ignoring him. "Make him squeal."

Cheyanne decided then that it was time to go out there and do something. She was about to step into the camp when Kili ran out of bushes nearby and cut the third troll on the leg. He howled and fell over again.

"Drop him!" Kili ordered, pulling an arrow back on his bowstring.

"You what?" the first one asked, frowning.

"I said, drop him," Kili shouted.

The first one shrugged and threw Bilbo at Kili. The two of them flew backwards, over the log where Cheyanne was hiding just as the other company members ran out of the bushes, weapons flashing in the firelight. Cheyanne helped Kili and Bilbo up before running into the fight.

She followed Bilbo through the slashing and hacking and hammering dwarves to where the third troll's knife had fallen, and helped him cut the ropes containing the ponies. All four ran free, and Cheyanne ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the first troll's hand. She grabbed Bilbo's in an attempt to help him, but was merely shaken off.

She fell to the group with an _oomph_, drawing the attention of the dwarves.

"Bilbo!" Kili cried.

"No!" Thorin said angrily.

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off," the first troll threatened the dwarves. Cheyanne picked herself up off of the ground, rubbing her bruised elbow. She looked at Thorin desperately; the dwarf muttered to himself and glared at Bilbo in frustration before planting his sword into the ground. The other dwarves followed his lead and dropped their weapons as well.

Within minutes, the trolls had them all tied up inside of sacks, a few of them rotating on a spit. Cheyanne was lying on the ground with the others, struggling against the sack that was wrapped around her.

"Don't bother cookin' 'em," the third troll said. "Let's just sit on them and squash 'em into jelly."

"They should be sautéed," argued Bert, "and grilled with a sprinkle of sage."

"Is this necessary?" Dori asked from his spot on the spit.

"Oh, that does sound nice," the third agreed, ignoring the dwarf.

"Unite us, you monsters!" Oin shouted.

"Take on someone your own size!" Gloin added loudly.

All of the dwarves started to make noise out of anger and fear. Cheyanne looked at Bilbo, who was near her feet. "We have to do something!" she hissed to him.

"What?" demanded Bilbo. "There's nothing to do.'

"Never mind the seasoning," the first troll was saying, "we ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned into stone."

Bilbo looked up at Cheyanne, and she nodded, encouraging the thought. Bilbo turned back to the trolls. "Wait!" he called. "You are making a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" Dori shouted down at him.

"Half-wits? Then what are we?" Bofur asked, also rotating slowly above the fire.

Bilbo managed to stand up with Cheyanne supporting him with her feet. He hopped around slightly to face he trolls. "I meant with the uh- with- the seasoning!" he said at last.

"What about the seasoning?" Bert asked him, curiously but cautiously.

"Well, have you smelt them?" asked Bilbo with a chuckle. "You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up."

"Traitor!"

"You stupid-"

"I'll gut you for this, halfling!"

Complaints came from the dwarves, and the ones in the sacks kick at him. Cheyanne kicked them back in warning, but they didn't pay attention to her.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" the first troll asked Bilbo.

"Shut up and let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk," Bert said sternly.

"Uh, th-the secret to cooking dwarf is, um-" Bilbo stammered, struggling.

"Yes? Come on," Bert encouraged.

"It's uh-"

"Tell us the secret!" Bert exclaimed.

"You have to… Skin them first!" Cheyanne burst in before Bilbo could bring any more notice to how long he was taking. She'd noticed Gandalf slide in from the side already, and she struggled to get to her feet as well. It was easy with all of the kicking from the dwarves near her.

"Tom, get me the filleting knife," ordered Bert.

"If I get my hands on you-" Gloin started.

"Cheyanne!" Dwalin exclaimed.

"What a load of rubbish!" Tom said. "I've eaten plenty with the skin on. Scuff 'em, I say, boots 'nd all."

Cheyanne nudged Bilbo and nodded to some trees subtly. Bilbo saw Gandalf slip behind the trees and nodded as well.

"'e's right!" the third troll agreed. "Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf. Nice and crunchy."

He bent down, grabbed Bombur and dangled him over his mouth, about to eat him. "No!" Bilbo and Cheyanne shouted simultaneously.

"Eh?" the third troll asked, looking down at them.

"Do-Do not eat that one!" Cheyanne exclaimed. "I swear, it will not end well for you."

"Why's that?" the troll asked, lowering Bombur slightly.

"He-He's infected!" Bilbo cried.

"You what?" questioned Tom in confusion.

"Y-Yeah, h-he's got worms in his uhm-"

"Tubes!" Cheyanne finished.

The third troll dropped Bombur back into the pile of dwarves with a shout of disgust. "In fact, they uh… They all have… Infections," Cheyanne went on.

"Yes!" Bilbo agreed. "Dirty things, those nasty parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it, would you?" he asked Cheyanne.

"Oh, definitely not," she agreed. "Much too dangerous."

"Parasites? Are they talking about parasites?" Oin asked.

"We don't have parasites, you do!" Kili exclaimed hotly.

"What are you even talking about, halflings?" Gloin queried in exasperation.

The other dwarves started to complain about how they don't have parasites, either, and Cheyanne and Bilbo exchanged an annoyed glance. Finally, however, Thorin understood, and he kicked the others. They stopped and thought about it for a moment before understanding strikes them as well.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" cried Oin.

"Mine are the biggest ones; I have huge parasites!" Kili chimed in.

"We're riddled," said Nori.

"Yes, I'm riddled," Ori agreed.

"We all are, badly!" completed Dori.

"What would you have us do then?" Tom asked Bilbo and Cheyanne. "Let 'em go?"

"Well," Bilbo commented thoughtfully.

"You think I don't know what you're up to? These little ferrets are taking us for fools!" Tom exclaimed, point at them.

"Ferrets?" Bilbo asked, looking at Cheyanne.

"Fools?" Bert queried, confused.

At last, Gandalf appeared on top of a large rock above the clearing where they all were. "The dawn will take you all!" he shouted dangerously.

The three trolls turned to look at him. "Who's that?" asked Bert.

"Not idea," Tom replied.

"Can we eat 'im too?" questioned the third.

Gandalf pounded the top of the rock with his staff, and it splits in half. A ray of sunlight comes from the crack and it pours into the clearing. The trolls immediately begin to turn stiff as the light touches them, and they scream in pain as they are turned to stone fully in mere seconds.

The dwarves in the sacks on the ground all cheer for the wizard, while the ones on the spit squirm uncomfortably. "Oh, get your foot out of my back!" Dwalin shouted to no one in particular.

* * *

**Love you. **


	6. AUJ - Tales of Orcs and Elves

**I like you guys. A lot. **

* * *

As soon as the dwarves had been freed, Thorin cornered Cheyanne near one of the troll statues.

"How did you know?" he demanded under his breath.

"I don't have to tell you anything," Cheyanne replied coldly. "You won't believe me, so why should I try?"

She could tell it was taking a lot of Thorin's willpower to keep from hitting her. "You will tell me. Now," he growled.

"She will tell you what?" Gandalf approached them, probably saving Cheyanne's head. She backed towards the wizard, and he looked down at her before back at Thorin. "Well?"

Thorin glared at her for a moment longer before he shifted his gaze to Gandalf. "Where did you go too?" he asked, changing the subject.

Gandalf noticed this, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he said, "To look ahead."

"And what brought you back?" the dwarf queried.

Gandalf looked up at the troll statue with an expression of disgust. "Looking behind. Nasty business, that was, but you're all in one piece," he said, glancing around at the other dwarves.

"No thanks to your hobbits," Thorin replied. He frowned at Cheyanne. "This one led us right to the trolls, and the other got picked up and almost torn to pieces."

"What did you expect me to do? Bilbo was in trouble!" Cheyanne exclaimed.

"He could have run off!" Thorin told her furiously.

"And abandoned the ponies? He was trying to help the company, which is more than can be said for you!" she shouted back.

"What are you implying?" demanded Thorin.

"Good God, I am so tired of you!" Cheyanne cried, throwing her arms up into the air.

Gandalf started to push her away, but she shoved him off and stomped away from them on her own, her face on fire.

She shoved Fili out of the way when he tried to stop her, and she pressed her hands against a tree, breathing heavily. "Chey," Fili said from behind her.

She stiffened at the word. Slowly, she turned to face him. "What did you call me?" she questioned quietly.

Fili's eyes widdened. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't know that you didn't-"

"No, its fine," she told him. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

Fili frowned. "No one else has called you that?"

Cheyanne's mind flickered with an image of Jon. She smiled slightly and shook her head. "No, a really close friend of mine always calls me Chey," she said. "I miss him."

Fili returned the grin. "I miss my friends, too," he said. "I have Kili, though, and he's my best friend." Fili glanced around and gestured to where Bilbo was searching through his pack. "You and Bilbo aren't very close, are you?"

Cheyanne shook her head. "No, I didn't meet him before Gandalf invited me to join the party," she admitted. "Hobbits like company, but distant relatives don't particularly spend time with one another." She didn't think that was true whatsoever, but she was hoping Fili didn't know anything about hobbits at all.

He didn't. The dwarf shrugged. "Maybe you could get closer to him," he suggested. He then stared at her carefully. "Are you alright now?" he asked slowly.

Cheyanne let out a breath and nodded. "I'm fine. I just have to ignore him, that's all."

"You don't have to ignore him," Fili responded. "You just have to... Be careful around him. It seems like he needs to be careful around you, too."

Cheyanne snorted. "He needs to not ask me how I know things until he's ready to believe I'm telling the truth."

Fili shook his head. "My uncle doesn't like to admit when he's wrong."

"Well, he needs to learn to like it," said Cheyanne, "because he won't get anywhere in the journey until he does."

"Come along, all of you!" Thorin called from the top of the slope on the south side of the clearing. "We think there's a cave nearby."

Encouraged by the prospect of nearby secrets, the other dwarves immediately hurried up the slope after Thorin. Fili hung back with Cheyanne when she didn't move.

"What is it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cheyanne shook her head in response and followed after the others. Fili joined her, and at the top of the slope they stared down at the company. Ori was the one to find the hidden cave, and he waved everyone over.

Cheyanne sighed and slid down the slope with the others. "Oin, Dori, stay out here and keep watch," Thorin was ordering as she and Fili approached. "The rest of you, into the cave, and be careful."

Cheyanne didn't meet his gaze as she went in after Bilbo, even though she was aware of him watching her as she went by. Immediately, the smell hit her, and she gagged.

"Oog, what is that smell?" asked Nori as he waved his hand in front of his face.

"It's a troll hoard," Gandalf said, ducking beneath a hanging dagger of rock. "Be careful of what you touch."

"Look at all this!" Ori said happily as Bifur cracked open one wooden chest. He scooped up a handful of gold coins and let them slide through his fingers.

"Seems like such a shame to leave it lying here," Bofur commented, gazing around at the many other piles of gold and gems. "Anyone could take it!"

"Agreed," Gloin said with a nod. "Nori, get a shovel."

Cheyanne looked at Gandalf and saw him pick up a scabbard that was leaning against the wall of the cave, he pulled the sword from it slightly and gazed down at the blade.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully as Thorin picked up another sword.

The dwarf pulled his sword from its scabbard as well. "These swords were not made by any troll," he said.

"Nor were they made by any smith among men," agreed Gandalf.

"Elven blades," Cheyanne supplied. They both looked at her, and she nodded to the swords they were holding. "They were forged in Gondolin by High Elves of the First Age."

Thorin snorted and looked at Gandalf for confirmation. The wizard nodded. "She's right, they are elven swords." Thorin hesitated slightly in surprise, but regained his composure almost instantly and started to put the sword back. "You could not wish for a finer blade," Gandalf told him\

The dwarf frowned at him, but all the same kept the sword. Gandalf did so as well, and belted it around his waist, turning to Cheyanne as he did so. "Familiar with elven work, are you?" he asked her curiously.

She shook her head with a laugh. "Not at all. I just knew you were going to find them."

Gandalf lifted an eyebrow, but didn't question her. He began to walk away, but stopped and looked down. He bent over and picked up a dagger for an Elf, but a sword perfect for a hobbit.

He glanced over at Cheyanne, but she shook her head and gestured to Bilbo. Gandalf nodded once and went over to talk to him.

Fili approached her with a grin and held up a glimmering crystal. "For you," he said, passing it too her.

"Thank you," said Cheyanne, holding it up appraisingly. It was clearish-white, but when turned the colors inside flashed in a rainbow. She smiled and looked at Fili. "It's beautiful."

"Let's get out of this hole before the stench seeps into our clothes," Thorin said before Fili could reply. "Bombur! Gloin!" He turned and looked directly at them. "Fili."

The younger dwarf rolled his eyes but went towards Thorin all the same. Cheyanne saw a cold look pass between the two of them, and she furrowed her brow. Dwalin approached. "Something the matter?" he asked.

"Thorin doesn't like how close Fili is getting to me," Cheyanne replied, watching Thorin exit the cave after Fili. "You can tell by his glare."

Dwalin shook his head and started to walk off. "Thorin is always glaring, Chey."

Cheyanne looked down at the crystal Fili had given her. The corner of her mouth twitched, and she slid the crystal into her pocket before leaving the cave as well.

"Something's coming!" Thorin was hissing as she came out.

"Stay together!" ordered Gandalf as the dwarves started to run into the woods. "Hurry now, and arm yourselves!"

Cheyanne saw Bilbo draw his sword. He felt her gaze and looked up, meeting her eyes. She gave him a nod of encouragement and went after the dwarves. She was aware of Bilbo following her as she ducked into the trees.

The company had stopped short only a few yards into the forest, and she heard loud exclamations coming from somewhere close. "Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

Radagast the Brown, one of her favorite characters, came riding full speed at them on his sled pulled by rabbits. He pulled up short next to the company, his eyes wide.

Gandalf walked over to him, grinning. "Radagast! Radagast the Brown!" The other wizard climbed from the sled, and Gandalf clasped his hand. "Ah. Whatever are you doing here?"

"Gandalf!" Radagast shouted unnecessarily. "I was looking for you. Something terribly terrible is happening."

Gandalf frowned at this. He glanced around at the company and then looked at Radagast again. "Yes?"

The brown wizard opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it again. He hesitated, opened it, furrowed his brow, and closed it. "That's odd," he said. "I had a thought, and it was on the tip of my tongue- Oh!" Radagast rolled his tongue, and Gandalf reached into his mouth, pulling out a stick bug. "It was just a silly old stick insect!"

Cheyanne was the only one who grinned at this. The dwarves looked repulsed. Gandalf brushed his fingers on his robe after handing the bug back to Radagast and leaned close to his fellow wizard. "Let us speak privately," he said, stepped away a few paces.

Thorin ignored the wizards and spoke to the company. "Nori, Ori, go fetch the ponies for us."

"Aye," Nori agreed, and the two headed off to do just that.

Cheyanne saw Fili glance at Thorin before he approached her. "He doesn't like me talking to you so much," he said quietly to her.

"I had guessed," Cheyanne replied with a nod. "'She's a hobbit, nephew, not to mention one who doesn't know what she's talking about. Stay away from her.'"

"That's pretty much what he said," Fili said with a laugh. "'Course, you already knew that, right?"

Cheyanne's grin disappeared. She looked down at the ground. "Yes, of course," she agreed quietly.

"Something the matter?" Fili asked her.

She blinked a few times and shook her head. "No, it's alright." She lifted her gaze again and met his. "Thank you for the crystal, Fili."

He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal, anyone could have found it," he told her.

"Yes, but you gave it to me," Cheyanne replied. "Anyone else would have kept it."

Fili shrugged. "Maybe." Cheyanne looked at him in surprise, but he merely grinned. "What? I'm not the only nice one."

"I know," she responded. "And yet, you still gave me the crystal, right?"

"Yes, but I didn't find it." Fili turned and walked away. Cheyanne frowned and looked away, confused. What was he talking about? Did he want to give it to her, or did whoever found it ask him too?

She shook her head in annoyance and walked over to Bilbo, who was sitting on a tree stump. He glanced up at her approach, and then looked back down at the sword in his hands. "Why did Gandalf give me this?" he asked her.

"More useful to you than anyone else," she replied. "Not really dwarf size."

"So why didn't he give it to you?" Bilbo questioned.

"I told him to give it to you instead," she answered easily.

Bilbo frowned and looked down at the sword again. "I don't know how to use this," he said with a headshake.

"I'm sure it's not difficult," Cheyanne said. She held out her hand, and Bilbo passed her the sword without hesitation. She adjusted it in her grip and stared down at it appreciatively. "Sting," she mused under her breath.

"What?" Bilbo asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nothing," she said quickly. She swung the sword back and forth briefly, twirled in a circle, and thrust it forward. Bilbo's eyes widened at her movements, and she grinned, flipping Sting around and holding it out to him, hilt first. "See? Not hard at all."

Bilbo took it slowly, watching her all the while. "How do you know how to use a sword?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't."

Before Bilbo could respond, a howl ripped through the air. The hair on the back of Cheyanne's neck rose at the bone chilling sound, and Bilbo stood up. "Was that a wolf? Are there- Are there wolves out here?" he stammered in fear.

"Wolves?" Bofur asked, his own eyes huge. "No, that is not a wolf."

A giant Warg jumped out from behind a nearby crag and knocked down Dori. Thorin quickly drew the sword he'd found and killed it. Another Warg attacked from the other side, but Kili shot it with an arrow, and it fell. It struggled back up to its feet, and Dwalin swung his hammer, striking a killing blow.

"Warg-scouts," said Thorin. "Which means an Orcs pack is not far behind." He looked at Cheyanne as he said this, and she merely turned away.

"Cheyanne was right," Bilbo realized. He looked at Gandalf, who glared at Thorin.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" he demanded.

"No one," answered the dwarf.

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf shouted.

"No one! I swear it!" Thorin replied, equally as loud.

"We have to get out of here!" Dwalin exclaimed.

"We can't!" Ori and Nori ran towards them, pulling up short. "We don't have any ponies. They bolted," Ori said breathlessly.

"I'll draw them off," said Radagast as the dwarves all looked desperately at one another.

"These are Gundabad Wargs," Gandalf replied. "They will out run you."

Radagast climbed onto his sled. "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits," he said calmly with a grin. "I'd like to see them try."

Gandalf leaned around the rock the company was hiding behind as Radagast's shouts of glee came towards them. "Come on!" Gandalf ordered, making a run for it.

Everyone in the company ran after him across the rocky plain. Cheyanne saw a Warg stumble and fall in the distance as a pack chased after the Radagast and his rabbits.

"Stay together," Gandalf ordered from the head of the company.

"Move!" shouted Thorin.

A few of the Wargs broke off from the pack chasing Radagast and came closer to the company in order to get ahead of the wizard on the sled. Thorin halted behind a big rock, and everyone else stopped as well, all breathing heavily. Ori, in panic, continued to run, and Thorin grabbed the end of his cloak. "Come back!" he hissed to the dwarf, pulling him into cover.

"Come on, quick!" Gandalf said, running again. Thorin looked at Gandalf as they all raced after him.

"Where are you leading us?" he asked him.

Gandalf didn't respond, and Cheyanne kept her mouth closed, even though she knew the answer. They ducked behind another rock, and a Warg appears on the top of the outcropping, scenting the air. Thorin looked at Kili and nodded.

Before Cheyanne could argue, Kili pulled an arrow back and shoots the Warg. It, along with the Orc riding it, fall onto the ground near the dwarves, and they all jump in to kill them. Cheyanne closed her eyes as the shouts and weapon clanging coming from the fight rang around the plain, and the Wargs and Orcs still chasing Radagast all stop at the noise.

She heard one of the Orcs shouts something in Black Speech, and the pack starts running towards the company. "Move! Run!" Gandalf cried pushing a few of the dwarves into motion.

They all continued to run, and Cheyanne glanced over her shoulder. Wargs were approaching them from all sides, about to get them. "There they are!" Gloin shouted above the howling.

"This way!" said Gandalf. "Quickly!"

The company ran for a while longer, until Wargs appeared ahead of them as well. "We're surrounded," Bilbo exclaimed, breathless.

"Kili, shoot them!" Thorin ordered.

The younger dwarf shoot several arrows at the Wargs, managing to take down a few, but for every Warg killed, two more appeared. "Where is Gandalf?" he demanded, firing another arrow.

"He's abandoned us!" replied Dwalin.

Cheyanne looked at Bilbo, who was standing stiffly beside her. "God's sake," she grumbled, reaching over and pulling Sting from the scabbard he was holding. She held it out in front of her as a Warg approached, mouth frothing. She shoved the sword forward, and it sank into the Warg's throat, killing it, eyes widening in surprise as she did so. She hadn't expected it to go through the creature's throat so easily.

She pulled the blade free and glanced over her shoulder at the rock Gandalf had disappeared behind. The company shoved themselves close together before it, all brandishing their weapons. The lead Orc, riding on the back of his Warg, approached, and Ori shot a rock at them from his slingshot.

The stone merely bounced off of the Warg's nose, doing nothing. "Hold your ground!" Thorin commanded, holding out his sword.

Gandalf popped his head out of a crack in the rock. "This way, you fools!" he shouted.

"Move!" yelled Thorin, pushing a few dwarves towards the wizard. "Quickly, all of you. Go, go, go!"

Cheyanne stabbed at another Warg that came close as the dwarves and Bilbo were ushered into the crack. Thorin grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the rock as well, and Dwalin helped her down into a cave within it. Gandalf counted as she slid down with Dwalin right behind her. "Eleven, twelve."

Kili and Thorin appeared and slid down into the cave as well. "Thirteen, fourteen," Gandalf finished in relief.

The sound of a fight started outside the cave, and Cheyanne looked up just as an Orc falls into the crack and down in front of them. Thorin pulled an arrow out of its neck and examines it. "Elves," he grumbled in frustration, throwing it onto the ground.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads," Dwalin said, turning away from the dark path at the other end of the cave. "Do we follow it or no?"

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur exclaimed. "What other choice do we have?"

The company all slid into the pathway one at a time, for it was narrow, shoved between two cliffs that were extremely close together. Cheyanne, finally grateful for her small stature, was able to easily slip between the more narrow places, along with Bilbo, who was even smaller than her.

At last, however, the path ended, and it opened into a wide area. A valley was below the cliff they were standing on, and in the valley was the shining city of Rivendell. Gandalf was the last one to push his way out of the crack, and he gazed down at the valley.

"The Valley of Imraldis," he said. "In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

"Rivendell," sighed Bilbo as he stepped up beside Cheyanne.

"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea," Gandalf told them all.

"This was your plan all along," Thorin realized, "to seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf said calmly. "The only ill-will in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

Thorin sniffed. "You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will," agreed Gandalf, "but we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm." He gave them all a look. "Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

The silence that followed as the company worked their way down into the valley and across the bridge leading into Rivendell was enough to make Cheyanne uncomfortable. She was aware of several of the dwarves glancing towards her, and then towards Thorin as they walked. She didn't know whether to be haughty that she had been right, or disappointed Thorin didn't try to speak with her about it.

They made it across the bridge, and she immediately saw all of the dwarves look uneasy at the prospect of being in Rivendell. Bilbo, however, stared around in awe at the beauty of the place. Cheyanne was amazed as well; Elves were humanoids of refined tastes, and it was easily seen in the décor of their home.

A dark-haired Elf walked down a flight of stairs towards them. He smiled at Gandalf first. "_Mithrandir_."

"Ah, Lindir!" Gandalf responded happily. The two of them greeted one another, and the dwarves murmured to one another in distrust, uncomfortable.

Lindir said something to Gandalf in Sindarin, the Elvish language. Gandalf glanced at Thorin before looking at Lindir again. "I must speak with Lord Elrond."

"My lord Elrond is not here," responded Lindir in the Common Tongue.

"Not here? Where is he?" Gandalf asked.

The Elvish horns that had sounded beforehand outside of the cave could be heard again. Cheyanne and the others turned around to see a group of armed horsemen riding towards them along the bridge.

"_Ifrídi bekâr_!" Thorin ordered. "Hold ranks!" The dwarves bunch up together, and Cheyanne takes Bilbo's arm to pull him away from them. The horsemen reach them and ride in a circle around the dwarves for a moment, and then their leader, Elrond, separates from them.

"Gandalf," he said from the back of his horse.

Gandalf bowed low to the Elf. "Lord Elrond. _Mellonnen! Mo evinedh?"_

Elrond responded in Sindarin, and dismounted from his horse. There was a moment before he and Gandalf hug, and then he pulled away from him. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near."

He holds up an Orcish sword before handing it Lindir as Gandalf responded, "Ah. That may have been us."

Thorin chose to step forward, and Elrond gazed upon him in recognition. "Welcome, Thorin son of Thrain," he said.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin replied.

"You have your grandfather's bearing," Elrond told him. "I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."

"Indeed?" asked Thorin. "He made no mention of you."

Elrond ignored the insult, and spoke in Sindarin to the other dwarves. Cheyanne, however, had looked this up to know just what he was saying. "Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed out guests."

Gloin, however, didn't understand. "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" The others grip their weapons.

Gandalf sighed in exasperation. "No, Master Gloin, he's offering you food."

The dwarves all turned in the tight circle they had pulled themselves into and discussed this for a few moments. Gloin then turned back to Lord Elrond. "Well in that case, lead on."

Elrond started to walk up the stairs, and the company followed after him. Cheyanne handed Sting back to Bilbo as they walked, and he took it after a moment of hesitation and slid it into its scabbard.

She felt a hand on her arm as she walked, and she stiffened, knowing exactly who it was. "I need to speak with you," Thorin said to her quietly.

She pulled her arm from his hand, not looking at him. "No."

"No?" Thorin asked her in shock.

"No," she repeated. "I don't care what you want to say to me, and I don't care if you aim to apologize. It doesn't matter anymore, does it? The Orcs found us, and here we are. Perhaps it would have changed something if you had wanted to talk before, but it's too late. We're already here."

"Miss Baggins-"

"No," she said. "I'm not doing this." She picked up her pace and walked away from him, joining Bilbo near the front of the group. He glanced at her as she walked up to him, and she could tell from his face that he had heard everything. However, he didn't say anything about it.

They reached a courtyard where several different tables has been set up, food littering them. The dwarves stopped when they saw the vegetables and plants, grumbling to themselves.

Cheyanne sighed and took her seat first in order to move the dwarves into doing the same. Bilbo sat down as well on her left. Balin glanced at the other dwarves before moving to sit across from them.

Slowly, the others did the same, taking places at the tables, loading vegetables and greens onto their plates.

Ori seemed to be the most stubborn, and his older brother Dori pushed some vegetables toward him. "Try it, just a little."

"I don't like green food," Ori muttered, pushing through the leaves.

Dwalin mumbled from where he was seated besides Balin on the opposite side of the table from Cheyanne and Bilbo. "Where's the meat?" he asked his brother.

"Have they got any chips?" Ori asked his brothers as Oin held up a vegetable with his knife in disgust.

Cheyanne and Bilbo, however, were both happy with having food at all. "Pass me that tray," Bilbo said, pointing down the table a ways.

Cheyanne attempted to reach for it, but her arms weren't long enough. She made another grab for it, but it was picked up and handed to her. She looked up from the tray and saw who was holding it already, finding herself looking at Thorin.

Pulling her eyes away, she took the tray and passed it Bilbo in silence. The hobbit gave her a look. "He tried to apologize."

"I don't care if he tried to give me the Arkenstone," Cheyanne muttered in response. "I don't want an apology he doesn't actually want to give."

Bilbo frowned. '"What is the Arkenstone?" he asked her.

"The Arkenstone is what you're going to steal."

Elrond and Gandalf reappeared and took seats near where Thorin was seated. "Lord Elrond," Gandalf began, "we found a few Elven blades we would like you to look at, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," responded Elrond.

Gandalf looked at Thorin, who paused before withdrawing his sword from its scabbard and handing it to Lord Elrond. The elf took it and held it carefully in two hands.

"This is Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver," he said after a moment. "It was forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the West, my kin. A very famous blade." He passed Orcrist backed to Thorin. "May it serve you well."

Thorin accepted the blade with a nod, and Gandalf handed Elrond his own weapon. "Ah, and this is Glamdring, the Foe-hammer," he said appraisingly. "Sword of the King of Gondolin. These blades, they were made for the goblin wars of the First Age..."

Movement in the corner of Cheyanne's eye caused her to look at Bilbo. He had pulled Sting from its scabbard and was staring down at it. Balin noticed this as well and said, "Ah, I wouldn't bother, laddie. Blades are named for their great deeds in battle."

"What?" Bilbo asked, looking across the table at the dwarf. "Are you saying my sword hasn't seen battle?"

Balin shrugged. "I wouldn't say it's a sword. More like a letter opener, really."

"How did you come by these weapons?" Lord Elrond was asking Gandalf.

"We found them in a troll hoard along the East-West Road," Gandalf replied, "shortly before we were ambushed by the Orcs."

"And what we're you doing on the East-West Road?" Elrond asked, gazing around the court. No one answered, and Cheyanne saw Thorin's face change to an expression of wary.

Shortly after dinner, Gandalf, Thorin, Balin and Bilbo all went with Elrond to discuss the map. Cheyanne didn't mind being alone with the dwarves, but she wanted to see the look on Thorin's face when Elrond revealed she had been right, so she went with them.

They reached a hall that led outside, and Gandalf nodded to Thorin. Thorin, who was still determined not to reveal their plans with the Elves, shook his head.

"Our business is no concern of Elves," he grumbled.

"For goodness sake, Thorin," sighed Gandalf. "Show him the map!"

"It is a legacy of my people and it is mi-"

"Good lord," Cheyanne sighed in annoyance. She pulled the map from Thorin's belt and held it away from him. "You want me to read it and prove you wrong again?"

Thorin closed his eyes and stepped out of her way. She silently handed the map to Elrond. The Elf took it without a word and walked away from them towards the outside area of the hall. "Erebor." He stops and looks at Thorin. "What is your interest in this map?"

No one responded. "We just want to know if it contains any hidden text," Gandalf said after a moment, "from his father. You still read Ancient Dwarfish, don't you?"

Elrond raised an eyebrow but continued walking all the same. The moonlight hit the map, and the elf stopped again. "_Cirth Ithil,_" he said.

"Moon runes," Gandalf mused. "Of course. An easy thing to miss."

"I told you weren't looking at it right," Cheyanne muttered under her breath.

Bilbo looked from her to Thorin, and then to Elrond. "What do they say?" the hobbit asked.

Elrond set the map down on a table at the end of the hall. The moonlight seeped into the map and lit it up from the inside. The hidden runes glowed blue on the parchment. "These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield; the same moon shines upon us tonight," he said as the runes lit up.

The others walked towards the table as Elrond gazed down upon the words. "'Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole.'"

"Durin's Day?" asked Bilbo, glancing around at them.

"It is the start of the dwarves' new year when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together," Gandalf told him.

"This is ill news," Thorin said quietly. "Summer is passing; Durin's Day will be upon us soon."

"We still have time to gain entrance into the mountain," Balin said, looking down at the map.

"So, that is your goal, then? To get inside Erebor?" Elrond asked, gazing steadily at Thorin. "Most would deem this unwise."

"We know that," Thorin agreed, gruffly grabbing the map. "Balin, halflings."

Cheyanne glanced up at Gandalf as she passed him and gave the wizard a knowing look. He nodded slightly in response, and she picked up her pace to join the others.

As soon as they were out of the hall, Thorin began to speak. "We need to leave as soon as possible. We do not have much time."

"We would have had more time if you had listened to Cheyanne beforehand," Balin said gently.

"No, we wouldn't have, because we would have been unable to read the words," Thorin replied.

"Actually, I knew what they said a while ago," Cheyanne injected.

Thorin stiffened ahead of her. "All the same, the opportunity has been lost. Do I regret it? Slightly, but there is no point in dwelling on it. Agreed, Cheyanne?"

"Yes, my king," she grunted in exaggeration.

"Which is why we must leave quickly to make up for the time we have lost."

"We should leave in the night," Balin suggested. "They will not find us gone until it is too late."

"So we will," said Thorin. "Let us go tell the others."

"What about Gandalf?" Bilbo queried, looking up at Cheyanne.

She didn't respond.

* * *

**This chapter's long a'f. Damn. **

**I'll see ya on Saturday.**

**3**


	7. AUJ - Goblins and Eagles: A Memoir

Cheyanne!" Fili called to her through the downpour of rain coming down on top of them. "Pick up the pace!"

She realized she had fallen pretty far behind the company without meaning too. Maybe it was time to bring up what she had been worrying about to Thorin, meaning the stone giants that were scheduled to begin their battle soon.

Cheyanne pushed her way up the path to towards Thorin. "We have a problem," she said quietly when she reached him.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing down at her.

Before she could respond, there was a loud thunderclap. The mountain shuddered, and Cheyanne stiffened, pointing over her shoulder. "That's the problem."

"Giants! Stone giants!" Balin shouted.

"Bloody… Can we never get a break?" Dwalin demanded above the crack of thunder and rain that was pummeling down on them.

"Run!" Thorin yelled. "Look for shelter!"

The company hustled forward along the mountain path. It wobbled beneath their feet as three giants played dodge ball with rocks. Cheyanne swore she saw her life flash before her eyes as an arm broke off of one of the giants and flew directly at the company, hitting the mountain above them.

The mountain shifted and rolled, breaking apart as the stone giant they were on lost his battle. The path broke into two halves. "Jump!" Thorin ordered. Half of the dwarves leaped to the other side, but Cheyanne and the rest were left stranded. She looked up just in time to see part of the mountain collapse on top of them.

The force knocked her off her feet, and she thought she heard Bilbo scream. The rock above the group tumbled away, and she spots those that had managed to jump looking down at them with relieved expressions. The first group makes their way down to the second, and Bofur does a quick head count.

"Where is Bilbo?" he exclaimed after a moment. "Where is the hobbit?"

"There!" Dwalin shouted, pointing.

Cheyanne sprinted to the edge of the cliff and laid down over it. Bilbo was holding on for dear life a few feet down. She attempts to grab him, but falls a few inches short without going over the edge herself.

"Grab my feet!" she ordered. Someone did so, and she reached down further, trusting whoever it was to hold on tightly. Bilbo reached towards her hands, and their grips attach. "Pull!"

She and Bilbo are dragged back up the mountain and safely onto the ledge. Bilbo's eyes were huge in fear, and Cheyanne pulled him to her in a hug.

"It's alright, Bilbo," she said softly. "You're alright."

Bilbo nodded shakily, and Cheyanne held him closer as Dwalin let out a breath. "I thought we had lost our burglar."

Thorin stretched his arms out in front of him, and Cheyanne realized he had been the one to hold onto her. "He's been lost ever since he left home. He should not have come." The dwarf glared down at Cheyanne and Bilbo. "He has no place amongst us." He started to walk off down the path. "Dwalin!"

The dwarf glanced at Cheyanne before following. Fili helped her up, and in turn she pulled Bilbo to his feet. "Ignore him," she said to the hobbit. "He doesn't mean any of it."

"It sounded like he did," Bilbo mumbled in response. He broke off from her and fell to the rear of the group. Cheyanne sighed and bowed her head, but immediately lifted it again as she remembered what was coming.

"No," she said as Dwalin came back to the company. His steps faltered.

"No, what?" he asked.

"We… We cannot stay wherever it is you've found," she responded. She leaned around him. "Thorin, no!"

"I've about had it with your warnings, Miss Baggins!" Thorin called back. "Whatever happens will happen, and that's the end of it. Now come along, all of you."

"But- I- Ugh!" Cheyanne stopped arguing as he disappeared into the cave. "We're in trouble."

"At this point, I just want to get out of the rain," Oin grumbled, shuffling past her.

The company murmured agreements and slid by her towards the cave. Cheyanne, unable to do anything but follow, did so, unhappy.

She entered the cave with a flinch. The dwarves were already setting up their sleeping spots. Fili approached her, a concerned look on his face. "Are you going to be alright?"

"No," replied Cheyanne, "but I don't have a choice at this point." She plunked down on the first open area of sand she found with a huff.

"Try to get some sleep," Thorin advised. "Bofur, take the first watch. If giants or ents or goblins attack in the night, scream. Does that sound good to everyone?" No one answered, though Cheyanne shook her head at the irony of the last threat Thorin had named. "Good."

Everyone remained silent as they settled down. Shortly after, Cheyanne could hear quiet sleeping noises coming from the dwarves. She lay awake for a long time, listening to the snores and rustlings. The sound she was listening for, however, didn't come for a while. When it did, she bolted awake, having fallen into a light doze.

"Where are you going?" Bofur was asking.

"Back to Rivendell," Bilbo whispered in answer.

"No, no you can't leave! You're a part of the company. You're one of us!" Bofur exclaimed quietly.

"No I'm not," Bilbo said.

"You're homesick. I understand," Bofur said.

"No you don't!" Bilbo whisper-shouted. "You're use to this life, having no place to belong, never settling in one place. This is your life, not mine." There was a silence, and Bilbo stammered quickly, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"No, you're right. We don't belong anywhere," agreed Bofur, cutting him off. "But what about Cheyanne? She's your cousin."

"And I will miss her, just like I will miss all of you," Bilbo told him, "but I have to go."

"Well, if that's what you've decided, then I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do," Bofur said after a moment. Cheyanne saw a light reflect on the wall of the cave, and she rolled over in confusion. Sting was glowing inside the scabbard at Bilbo's hip.

The hobbit pulled the sword and gazed down at it in wonder. Cheyanne saw Thorin lift his head as strange noises like a machine came broke out throughout the cave. Cracks began to appear on the floor.

"Wake up," said Thorin. Then, more forcefully, "Wake up!"

Before anyone could react, the floor collapsed downwards. Everyone fell into the hole, and they slid through a tunnel before landing in a giant wooden cage. "What did I tell you?" Cheyanne muttered as the dwarves struggled to stand up.

Thorin shot her a look just as a horde of goblins attacked them from all sides. Weapons were ripped from their grasps, and they are all shoved into a group together. Cheyanne kicked and shouted, trying to break away from the goblins, but she couldn't.

The goblins half led, half dragged the company through a network of tunnels and wooden rope bridges to a giant throne room. Cheyanne blinked at the sudden light from the torches all over the place, and shuddered when she saw who they were being taken too. A giant, fat, ugly goblin sat on a throne near the center of the room on a platform. He was the ugliest damn thing Cheyanne had ever seen.

He jumped off of his throne and ran forward towards the company. "Who have you found inside my mountain?" he demanded. "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves, Your Malevolence," responded one. A second kicked Cheyanne forward, and the first glanced her over. "And a hobbit that smells like a human."

The Great Goblin appraised her through beady eyes. "Nice, this one is," he mused after a moment. "We won't torture her, but we will be eating her first."

"No!" Thorin said, stepping in front of Cheyanne. She gazed up at him in surprise, but he didn't meet her eyes. Instead, he glared up at the goblin king, who stared back in pleasure.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain." He bowed to Thorin in exaggeration, and then stopped. "Oh, but I am forgetting! You do not have a mountain. And you are not a king. Which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached to it. Perhaps you know him; the Pale Orc, astride a White Warg. An old enemy of yours, if I'm not mistaken."

Thorin glanced down at Cheyanne as the goblin spoke, and she nodded in confirmation. Thorin let out a breath and didn't say anything to the goblin.

The beast turned to a tiny goblin that was sitting in a basket. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize!"

The smaller goblin cackles as he writes the message down and the slides way on a system of ropes and pulleys into the darkness.

Cheyanne hid her face in Thorin's cloak as the Great Goblin looked back at the company. "Oakenshield and his hobbit are to be kept alive," he said. "Do what you will with the others."

Goblins shrieked happily, several tugging Thorin and Cheyanne away from the others. Cheyanne met Fili's eyes in fear as a mass of goblins marched across one wooden bridge, weapons of torture on their shoulders and in their arms.

The Great Goblin danced around and sang lustily, "Bones will be shattered and necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung! You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin Town!"

Goblins shoved and pulled at the dwarves. Cheyanne struggled to get to them as one pulled Kili's hair and another punched Balin in the stomach. Thorin, however, held her back. He turned her around to face him and lifted her head by taking her chin in his hand. "Look at me," he said. She turned her eyes, and his glowed brightly in the torchlight. "Everything is going to be alright."

Before Cheyanne could respond, the Great Goblin screeched and pointed at Thorin's sword on the weapon pile. "I know that sword!" he shouted, scrambling up onto his throne. "It is the Goblin Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that slashed a thousand necks!" The other goblins began to whip the dwarves with ropes, a few jumping onto the party, biting them and slashing them with daggers.

Meanwhile, the Great Goblin waved around his arms, screaming: "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" He pointed to Thorin. "Cut off his head!"

"No!" Cheyanne exclaimed, grabbing onto Thorin's arm. Goblins ripped her away from him and a few held Thorin down on the ground. One pulled out his knife and prepared to cut off Thorin's head while Cheyanne struggled against the goblins holding her back.

Suddenly, an explosion of light burst out all around the cave. It tossed goblins left and right as a shockwave goes through the area. Everyone falls over, including the Great Goblin, which sent out a shock of its own.

When the light had disappeared, most of the torches were out. Cheyanne saw a tall shadow, Gandalf, appear on a ledge, holding out his staff and Glamdring. The torches are relit, and the goblins and dwarves slowly look up and stare at him.

"Take up arms!" Gandalf shouted to the dwarves. "Fight. Fight!"

Immediately, the company got up and grabbed their weapons before beginning to battle the goblins. Cheyanne got away from the goblins that had been holding her back and she ran to Thorin as he slashed the head off of the goblin that had tried to take his. Their eyes met momentarily before Thorin had to turn away to fight another goblin.

Cheyanne ducked beneath one that jumped at her. She then stood up and shoved it off the ledge. "Chey!" She turned and Fili tossed her a sword he had taken from a dead goblin. She took it and held it, uncertain, in both hands. A goblin leaped towards her, and she held the sword out, stabbing the creature through the belly. She tugged the blade free and let out a breath.

"Right."

"Follow me, all of you!" ordered Gandalf, running towards a wooden bridge. "Quickly!"

The company hacked and slashed at goblins all around them as they raced after the wizard along a pathway leading out of the throne room. Cheyanne ducked beneath a blade swinging her way and swung her own. The goblin she struck fell over the side of the rope bridge he was on. Her sword, still stuck inside of the goblin, fell as well, almost taking Cheyanne along with it. A strong grip grabbed her, and she was pulled back into position running along the path.

"When your blade gets stuck, you let go!" Thorin said from behind her.

Gandalf led them over the suspended wooden bridges of Goblin Town. Cheyanne was well aware of the hundreds of goblins chasing after them, and she gasped when she saw a group running towards them as well.

"Post!" Dwalin shouted. He and a few others hacked at the guardrail of the bridge they were on and hold it out in front of the group like a spear. "Charge!" Dwalin and the others rush forward and sweep the goblins off the path with the rail. They then fend off the remaining goblins with their weapons.

Cheyanne hears snarls and looked up to see goblins flying towards them on ropes. "Thorin!" she exclaimed.

"Kili!" he shouted.

The archer raised his bow and released an arrow. It went through the ropes, cutting them all in half. The goblins fall into the darkness. A few of the dwarves cut down a ladder goblins were climbing down and shove it forward, trapping several creatures beneath it. They reached a broken area of the path and set the ladder down over it. The goblins beneath fall, and the company runs over the ladder like a bridge.

"Quickly!" urged Gandalf, pulling Glamdring out of a goblin.

They reached a section of paths that were hung up by ropes. Slicing a few caused the path to swing towards the other side. "Jump!" someone shouted.

Several of the company managed to jump off of the path to the opposite side, but half were left on the swaying section. It swung back the way it had come, and a group of goblins joined them. They fought the goblins off as they jumped onto the side the others were on. The dwarves were ready to cut the ropes, and the swaying path fell into the cavern below, the goblins still on it.

The company continued to run until they reached a system of tunnels. Gandalf strikes at the rocks above them, and a giant boulder drops down from the ceiling and rolls out in front of the party, squashing the goblins that were running towards them.

It seemed the company was home free, until the Great Goblin suddenly jumped out directly in front of them. The company pauses, and goblins bear down on them from all sides.

"You thought you could escape me?" the Great Goblin asked, stepping closer. He swung his mace at Gandalf, and the wizard stumbled back, almost falling. "What are you going to do now, wizard?"

Gandalf jumped forward and hit the goblin in the eye with his staff. The goblin dropped his mace and clutched his face in pain. "Ow!" Gandalf then stepped forward and slashed Glamdring through the Great Goblin's belly. The beast falls to his knees, holding his belly. "That'll do it."

Gandalf swung his sword again and cut the Great Goblin's neck, killing him instantly. The weight of the goblin became to be too much for the bridge, and it broke, sliding down the side of the cavern. Cheyanne gripped onto someone as it fell, and they landed on the bottom of the cavern, several getting caught under the wreckage of the bridge.

Cheyanne clambered from the rubble and reached down to help Thorin out as well. He took her hand and she pulled him free, receiving a grateful nod from the dwarf.

"Well," Bofur said from where he was still stuck, "that could have gone worse."

Cheyanne quickly pulled Thorin away from the rubble. The corpse of the Great Goblin lands on top of the wreckage, crushing the remaining dwarves. They all cry out in pain.

"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin shouted in anger.

They pull themselves out of the rubble, and Kili, who had made his way out first, looked up. Cheyanne followed his gaze and sucked in a breath.

"Gandalf!" shouted Kili, pointing.

Thousands of goblins were running down the side of the cavern towards them.

"There's too many, we have to go!" Cheyanne yelled over the screeches.

"Only one thing will save us, and that's daylight. On your feet!" Gandalf ordered.

The dwarves help one another out of the rubble and then the company races after Gandalf. Cheyanne glanced sideways at Thorin, who was running alongside her. "Why did you save me?" she asked him.

"You're one of us," he replied. "A member of the company."

Cheyanne looked away, grinning slightly to herself.

The company runs from the mountain passage at last and all race down the hill towards a clearing in the trees dotting the area.

Gandalf, who was leading the way, turned and counted as they all joined him. "Five, six, seven, eight, Bifur, Bofur… That's ten… Fili, Kili, twelve, and Bombur, which makes thirteen." He stopped, his eyes wide. "Where is Bilbo? Where is our hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!" he demanded.

"Curse the halfling!" Dwalin growled. "Now he's lost?"

"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin said.

"Don't blame me!" cried Dori.

"Where did you see him last?" Gandalf asked them all.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us," Nori said quietly.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf commanded.

Cheyanne glanced at the tree where Bilbo was hiding. "I'll tell you what happened," Thorin began from beside her. "Master Baggins saw his chance and took it. He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and warm hearth since he first stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our burglar again. He is long gone."

Cheyanne rounded on him, furious. "Watch your tongue!" she shouted angrily. "Bilbo was attacked and separated from us, that's all!"

"He is gone!" Thorin yelled, meeting her glare.

"No." Bilbo's voice came, and they all turned to see him appear from behind a tree. "He isn't."

Cheyanne let out a breath of relief and ran toward him, flinging her arms around the hobbit. She hugged him tightly, and Bilbo returned the embrace while Gandalf laughed.

"Bilbo Baggins! I have never been so glad to see anyone in all my life!" the wizard exclaimed.

Bilbo pulled away from Cheyanne and strode forward into the group, head held high. The dwarves all pat him on the back, chuckling and exclaiming things.

"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" said Kili.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked, amazed.

"How indeed?" Dwalin agreed.

An awkward silence followed as Bilbo didn't say anything. Instead, he laughed nervously and placed his hands on his hips. Cheyanne saw him slide the Ring into his pocket.

A glance at Gandalf showed that he had seen it, too. He kept silent about it, however. Instead, he said, "Well, what does it matter? He's back!"

"It matters!" Thorin spoke up. He approached Bilbo, eyeing him. "I want to know: why did you come back?"

Bilbo sighed, and Cheyanne pushed her way into the group as he began to explain: "Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right. I often think of Bag-End." He glanced at Cheyanne. "I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that's where I belong." He looked back up at Thorin. "That's home. And that's why I came back, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

Cheyanne smiled as he finished speaking, tears coming to her eyes. She brushed them away with a laugh and reached out to hug Bilbo again. "I knew you'd come around, coz," she said quietly.

Howling ripped through the air, ending the moment that came over the company.

"Out of the frying pan…" Thorin began.

"… And into the fire," Gandalf finished as Wargs appeared on the top of the mountain. "Run. Run!"

They all started sprinting down the mountain as fast as they could. Cheyanne had to pull Bilbo into action, but she lost him soon after they started to run. She was aware of a Warg snapping at her heels, but Dwalin turned quickly and killed it before he went back to running for his life.

The company was chased to a large outcropping of land with nowhere to go but straight down the cliff. "Gandalf, the trees!" Cheyanne said, pointing to a group of tall pines near the edge of the cliff.

"You heard her," the wizard exclaimed, gesturing with his staff. "Up into the trees, all of you!"

The dwarves all took different way to get up into the trees. Cheyanne glazed around at the group, and felt her face pale. "Where's Bilbo?"

"Cheyanne!" Gandalf shouted down at her. She glanced around desperately for another moment and saw Bilbo running towards her, Wargs on his heels. She boosted him up into the tree, and he pulled her up beside him. Warg teeth whispered around her legs as she barely made it up.

They worked their way higher into the tree until they were safely out of the Wargs' reach. The wolf-like creatures circled below the trees angrily, growling low in their throats.

Suddenly, the growling ceased. Cheyanne looked up and saw Azog approaching on the back of the White Warg. She heard Thorin whisper in surprise; "Azog?"

The White Warg halted, and the Pale Orc spoke. From what Cheyanne could remember, he was saying, "Do you smell it? The scent of fear?" He looked directly at Thorin. "I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain."

"It cannot be," whispered Thorin, his voice tight with pain.

Azog looked around at the other Orcs and Wargs, pointing to Thorin as he spoke. Cheyanne understood the gist of it: "That one is mine. Kill the others."

As soon as he spoke, rider-less Wargs jumped at the trees, leaping up as high as they could. Branches broke off of the trees in their jaws, and bark cracked under their claws. Cheyanne held onto the tree for dear life as it shook violently. Suddenly, her tree tilted and started to lean into the next tree. She, Bilbo, and the dwarves that were in the tree jumped into the next, which ended up tipping as well. They were forced to jump to the next tree, until all of the trees but the one closest to the edge of the cliff were toppled. Azog laughed wickedly as he watched all fifteen company members hide up in the same tree, the Wargs throwing all of their strength into knocking it over.

A flash of fire caught Cheyanne's eye as Gandalf threw a burning pine cone down into the Wargs. The creatures retreated in fear of the flames, and Azog growled angrily at this display. Gandalf began to light more pine cones that the dwarves supplied him with. Cheyanne threw one after another down onto the Wargs. She hit one square on the nose, and it yelped, scrambling backwards. The area around tree catches fire, and the Wargs are forced backwards a distance.

Everyone in the tree cheered. The cliff started to give away then, and the tree tipped over the edge. It stuck straight out over the canyon below. Ori yelped in panic as he lost his grip. Cheyanne turned around to see him grab Dori's leg just in time. "Mister Gandalf!" Dori cried. He lost his grip as well because of the extra weight, but Gandalf leaned forward quickly. Dori grabbed the end of his staff. "Hold on Ori!" he called down to his brother.

Cheyanne turned away from this situation as Thorin rose and began to walk towards Azog, fuming with anger and hate.

"Thorin!" Cheyanne cried desperately after him.

The dwarf didn't stop. He ran through the flames directly at the White Warg, brandishing his sword. He roared and started to swing, but the White Warg struck him in the chest with a forepaw. Thorin is smashed into the ground, and Cheyanne's breath caught in her throat. "Help!" Ori screamed.

Thorin managed to get back up. Azog was ready, however. He smashed Thorin in the face with his mace, and Thorin is flung to the ground once again. Cheyanne flinched at the impact, feeling it herself. She attempted to get to her feet, but the tree shook at her movement, and she stopped.

"No!" Balin cried out.

Azog roared in enjoyment as, beside her, Bilbo slowly stood up. Cheyanne ignored the hobbit, unable to see anything but the White Warg clamp his jaws around Thorin. He yelled in pain, and Dwalin struggled to get to him. The branches he was holding onto break, and he swung downward.

"Thorin, no!" shouted the older dwarf.

Thorin manages to hit the Warg in the head with the pommel of Orcrist. Roaring, the White Warg flings Thorin away onto a flat rock. Thorin lands with a thud, his sword falling from his hand.

"Bring me his head!" Azog commanded in Black Speech.

An Orc approached Thorin, blade drawn. Cheyanne watched this, not wanting to move for fear she would cause another dwarf to fall. She was unable to do anything as the sword lifted.

Bilbo leaped out of nowhere at the Orc and knocked him over, away from Thorin. The hobbit managed to kill the Orc and pulled his blade from it, standing in front of a now unconscious Thorin.

Cheyanne risked another standing motion, and this time made it to her feet. She hurried forward towards Bilbo and Thorin. Fili, Kili and Dwalin ran out in front of her, appearing like a beacon from heaven. They plowed into the Orcs and Wargs that were approaching Bilbo. Cheyanne went to Thorin and shook him, trying to wake him up. The dwarf didn't stir. She glanced upwards as a shadow fell over her, and saw Azog riding his Warg towards her and Bilbo menacingly.

To his credit, the hobbit before her didn't look terrified. He held his sword out in front of him bravely, not budging. Cheyanne reached down and picked up Orcrist, holding it out as well from where she crouched beside Thorin.

Just as she was sure Azog was going to knock Bilbo's head from his shoulders, she heard Ori and Dori cry out in fear. A giant bird, an eagle, swooped down on top of her and Thorin. It picked them both up in each talon and flew away from the cliff. She twisted in order to make sure Bilbo was saved as well, and saw him get dropped from his own eagle onto the back of another that flew below with a yell of panic.

She let out a relieved breath and turned back to Thorin, shaking him. "Come on, Thorin. Wake up," she whispered fiercely.

"Thorin!" Fili shouted down at them from the back of an eagle. Cheyanne looked up at the dwarf with wide eyes. Fili returned the look of fear and disappeared. Cheyanne reached over and touched Thorin's face lightly. "Thorin, please," she said softly. "It's not time for you to go yet."

The dwarf was unresponsive, and she let out a breath. They flew for a long period of time, and Cheyanne saw many different landscapes pass beneath them. After a long time, however, they approached a bear shaped rock, the Carrock. She and Thorin are set down gently on the stone and their eagle flew away.

Cheyanne shook Thorin again, pressing her ear to his chest. His heartbeat was there, though it was uneven.

"Thorin!" Gandalf hurried towards them. The wizard crouched down near him and placed a hand on Thorin's face. He whispered a spell and moved his hand away. Thorin's eyes fluttered open and he gasped for breath, gazing around. He met Gandalf's eyes.

"The halfling?" he asked weakly.

Cheyanne relaxed and winked at Bilbo, who merely raised his shoulders in response. Gandalf smiled. "It's alright," he said soothingly. "Bilbo is here. He is quite safe."

The others all approached Thorin, and Dwalin and Kili helped him to his feet. He brushed them off and went to Bilbo. "You!" he exclaimed loudly. "What were you doing? You could have been killed! Did I not say you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and had no place amongst us?"

Cheyanne held back a worried looking Balin as Bilbo gaped up at Thorin, eyes wide in fear. A silence passed. "I have never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin said. He grabbed Bilbo and hugged him deeply. Cheyanne's heart swelled inside her chest as the dwarves all cheer happily.

Thorin released Bilbo. "I am sorry I doubted you," he apologized.

"No, I would have doubted me too," said Bilbo. "I'm not a hero or a warrior… not even a burglar."

Everyone laughed, and Thorin turned to look at Cheyanne. He approached her slowly and took her face in his hands gently. "Are you alright?" he asked her quietly, eyes not revealing anything.

She grinned wanly. "Yeah, I'm good."

Thorin didn't take his eyes off of her even as Bilbo stepped forward, his own eyes huge. "Is that what I think it is?" he queried, breathless.

Only then did Thorin look away from her, and he grinned. She turned to see for herself, and her breathing hitched when she saw the mountain in the distance, purple against the dark sky.

"Erebor- the Lonely Mountain," Gandalf confirmed. "The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth."

"Our home," Thorin breathed.

A bird chirped as it flew by, and Oin clapped happily. "A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain!"

"That, my dear Oin," said Gandalf as he glanced meaningfully down at Thorin, "was a thrush."

"We'll take it as a sign," Thorin said, placing a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "A good omen."

"You're right," Bilbo agreed. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

"Let's leave that up to Cheyanne to decide," suggested Dwalin. Everyone laughed, and Cheyanne did too, though a sense of dread passed through her. The worst was far from behind them, for somewhere deep in the mountain that looked so welcoming from a distance lied Benedict Cumberbatch in the form of a dragon who had just been woken from his nap.

And dragons do not like to be woken up.

* * *

**And so ends the first part of _Maybe I Won't Go Back Again._ I didn't pace the chapters like I wanted to, and so this was shorter than expected, but I figured that I might as well give another long chapter instead of a 2,000 word one. That would have just been cheap. **

**I'm gonna give a week in between this one and the first chapter of the second part, which takes place during _Desolation_ _of Smaug. _Keep an eye out for that. **

**Also, thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited. It means a lot to me, and kept me uploading new chapters. It's up to you guys to keep me bringing a new one every time it's needed, so keep doing what you do. **

**I'll see you guys in two weeks. I'm outtie. **

**3**


	8. DoS - Waking Up and Falling Back Asleep

**Hi! How're y'all doing? Here am I, uploading chapter 1 of the DoS section of MIWGBA. Gosh, that's a long acronym. Is that even the right word? **

**Anyway, following this A/N is a recollection of what has happened previously. For convenience. **

* * *

**_The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (Maybe I Won't Go Back Again: Part 2)_**

**Previously on _Maybe I Won't Go Back Again:_**

**Cheyanne Phillips, a young adult living in an unnamed small town in Texas begins to have dreams about the worldwide popular movie series _The Hobbit_, an adaptation of the book _There And Back Again_ by J.R.R. Tolkien. In her dreams, Cheyanne travels alongside Gandalf, Bilbo, and the company of dwarves as they make their way towards the Lonely Mountain in order to reclaim the lost kingdom of Erebor. **

**At least, Cheyanne thinks they're only dreams until her best friend Jon Davenport points out that they might not be, and Cheyanne does a test to see if Jon is right. Turns out he is, and, unfortunately, Cheyanne doesn't know how to get out of these not-actually-dreams dreams. Her employer, Gary Hoffman, who own the bookstore Dreamer's Books and other Media, gives her some friendly advice that basically says she might belong in Middle-Earth. **

**A bit of a big deal, right? **

**Now Cheyanne has completed her first leg of the journey and has proven to the stubborn Thorin Oakenshield that her "foretellings" are actually real, and not just something she's making up. Because they're not. Because she knows what happens on the journey because of the movies. Of course, the company isn't allowed to know that; they would think she's crazy. **

**She might be crazy, of course. I mean, hell. She's living her dreams which aren't actually dreams. **

**As for the piece that makes it all _so_ much better, she's beginning to think about Thorin in a way she shouldn't. Talk about drama. **

**Oh, Chey. What are you gonna do when the time of the Battle of the Five Armies arises? Well, I suppose that can be saved for the next part. After all, this is _DoS, _not _BotFA. _**

**Let's get back into it. **

"Cheyanne?" She stirred at a voice, waving her hand sleepily to brush whoever it was away. She rolled over onto her side, half-asleep. "Chey."

"I'm trying to sleep, Bilbo," she muttered under her breath. "Go away."

"Cheyanne, its Jon!"

The voice registered in her mind to be the one that belonged to her real best friend, and not the hobbit that she had adopted as her cousin. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the wall in her Texas apartment instead of some cave wall that Thorin Oakenshield's company had set up camp in for the night.

Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder and found Jon Davenport sitting on her other side, concern written all over his face. "You recognize me, don't you?" he asked her carefully.

"Of course I do!" exclaimed Cheyanne. She sat up, fully awake now, and stretched her arms over her head. She felt extremely stiff but loose at the same time. Shaking out her limbs, she grinned at him. "What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Jon shouted. He rose up off of her bed and gaped down at her. "You've been asleep for three days straight, Cheyanne!"

She blinked a few times as this settled. "Th-Three?" she whispered. "Good lord." She fell back against her pillows, licking at her dry lips. Her stomach rumbled and she suddenly had a very insistent need to pee, not to mention how grungy she felt and the nasty taste in her mouth.

She smacked her lips together, and they popped. Jon held out his hands, still staring down at her. "Are you going to speak, or am I just going to have to stand here and look at you like an idiot?" he asked in annoyance.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Just let me get my bearings for a second, alright?" She gazed around the bedroom in her apartment. Her apartment was where she lived. Where she actually lived. Her friend Jon was standing beside her bed, her real, tangible friend Jon who was not a fictional character. She had a life, one that didn't involve Middle-Earth whatsoever except for the occasional movie watching and/or book reading. That was it.

She let out a breath and sat up fully again. "Okay, I need to brush my teeth and take a shower," she said slowly. "And then I will meet you at the Bean Machine."

"Are you sure you're going to meet me and not slip into another coma?" Jon queried. "Because I'm not leaving unless you're positive."

She smiled at him. "I'm sure. Go. I'll be there in like… thirty minutes or so, alright?"

Jon studied her for a long moment before he turned and walked out of her bedroom. She heard the front door of her apartment close, and she sat on her bed for a moment longer, gazing around the room. She was in Texas. She was in the real world. She wasn't in the world her mind had created based off of Middle-Earth.

She was awake, and it was time to go back to doing real life things.

The time she spent in the shower probably equaled half of whatever her water bill would be that month. It just seemed like, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wash Middle-Earth out of her skin or her hair. She scrubbed and scrubbed, and yet, even when her skin gleamed pink from being washed too hard, she still felt a layer of dirt caking her entire body.

She changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, tossing the dirty jeans and t shirt towards the laundry hamper. She glanced around her apartment again. She couldn't grasp the fact that she was actually there. She kept feeling rocks under her feet and a cool beginnings-of-autumn breeze on her face.

Cheyanne slowly sat down on the edge of her bed to breathe. She inhaled slowly, and exhaled even slower, closing her eyes. As soon as she did, however, she could see her company of dwarves, all of them chuckling and waving at her happily. She saw Gandalf with his staff and pointed hat grinning at her. She saw Bilbo standing near him, giving her a small smile of his own that was extremely similar to the way she grinned.

And she saw him. Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the group she was now a part of, standing further away but still watching her with that damn blue gaze he saved especially for her. She swallowed thickly and forced herself to open her eyes again, grateful that when she did she was in her apartment.

She stood up quickly and hurried out of her apartment, not wanting to risk falling asleep again. She hustled down the street and into the Bean Machine. Jon was sitting at their usual table near a window, and she went over to him, sliding down carefully into the wicker chair across from his.

Jon watched her as she glanced around the coffee house and then down at the coffee and muffin he had ordered for her. She slowly picked up the muffin and bit into it. Her stomach resisted the rich chocolate taste, and she gagged, spitting the bite into a napkin.

"Cheyanne, you look awful," Jon told her.

"I was asleep for three days," Cheyanne responded shakily. "What do you want from me?"

She attempted to drink the coffee, but had to spit it back out as the taste sent a shudder through her whole body. Jon let out a breath and reached downwards into what she lovingly called his "Man-Purse". He pulled out a water bottle and undid the cap before pushing it towards her across the table.

Cheyanne took it and gingerly took a sip. The water flowed over her tongue, and she felt it reach her stomach. Greedily, she drank some more, until the whole bottle was gone. She set it down on the table, wanting more. Jon gazed at her all the while, eyebrows furrowed.

"Chey, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," she answered. "I-I don't think… No."

"Cheyanne, look at me." She met his worried blue gaze. "What happened?"

"I mean… I finished it. At least, the first part. We… We were left on the Carrock by the eagles, and the Lonely Mountain was in the distance, purple against the sky." She grinned at the memory. "It was beautiful, Jon. I wish you would have been able to see it."

"And so, do you think that's it, then?" Jon questioned gently.

Cheyanne frowned. Was it? She wasn't sure whether she wanted it to be, or if she was going crazy and didn't want it to be over. Perhaps a little of both. "I don't know, Jon," she said after a moment. "I… I don't think it is."

"You don't think it is, or you don't want it to be?" he asked her, reading the expression on her face.

She shook her head and looked at him. "I don't know. I mean, I think I want it to be over, but at the same time…" She trailed off and shifted her gaze to the table. "I'm starting to sound insane, aren't I? Three days ago, I was freaking out over the fact that this was real, and now I'm starting to realize that I was actually okay with it. What is going on with me?"

"Chey, relax," Jon said sternly. "You're only going to end up worse if you keep freaking out." Cheyanne took in a deep breath, and he nodded. "Good."

"I think we need to go see Gary," she told him after a moment had passed.

"And we will, but I need you to eat something first. You don't look good." Jon stood and walked towards the counter. Cheyanne absentmindedly played with the empty water bottle lid and stared out the window. She needed to go back. She needed to finish it.

Jon came back with a plain roll, unbuttered. He set it down in front of her, and frowned when he saw the look on her face. "What?"

She pulled a piece off of the roll and nibbled on it. "I have to go back," she told him.

"You what?" demanded Jon. People looked over at their table, and he lowered his voice, "You cannot do that to yourself again, Cheyanne."

"What if I don't have a choice?" she asked him.

"Then you don't!" Jon responded hotly. "But that'll be better than you actually wanting to keep doing this!"

"Will it? What if it kept happening and I didn't want it to?" she queried. "Isn't it better that I don't mind going back than dreading going to sleep every night?"

Jon let out a breath and shook his head. "You really need to think about what you're saying. You're telling me that you don't care if you go back to Middle-Earth? Fake, not-actually-there Middle-Earth?" She shrugged, and Jon covered his face with his hands. "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Well, you are. I can't say anything else other than that I don't… I don't mind if I have to go back. I need to help them get the mountain back." She reached forward and pulled Jon's hands away from his face. "I need to see this through."

"You already have. You've done your part," Jon told her. "You don't need to do anything more."

"There's no way of knowing that for sure, Jon," Cheyanne replied. "Not until I fall asleep again. And if I happen to get put back in Middle-Earth, then that's all there is too it, and I won't complain. If I don't, well, I'll probably be slightly disappointed."

"And that's the crazy part. It isn't real, Chey. How in the world could you have a mindset like that?" Jon asked.

She shook her head. "I can't explain it yet, but there's just… I feel like… I-" She cut off when she saw Gary Hoffman enter Dreamer's Books and other Media across the street from the Bean Machine. She stood and hurried out of the coffee house, abandoning her half-finished roll. She was aware of Jon following her slowly, as though reluctant.

She went into the bookstore and called Gary's name. The old man appeared from the backroom. He blinked and lifted his glasses. "Are you back already? It hasn't been a week, has it?" he questioned.

"Not yet, G," Cheyanne replied, "but I woke up."

"Well," Gary began, settling down on the stool behind the counter. "What happened?"

Cheyanne began to regale the events of her dream, being careful to leave out unnecessary information and information she didn't want to share, like the part about Thorin saving her more than once and him asking her if she was alright near the end. Gary didn't need to know about that.

She finally completed her tale, and Gary gazed at her in silence for a minute. Cheyanne glanced at Jon, who was also hearing the full story for the first time. Her friend met her eyes briefly and then turned away, looking towards the bookshelves.

After a moment, Gary hummed to himself. "Sounds like you had quite the adventure, Miss Phillips," he mused.

"I did," confirmed Cheyanne.

"Tell him what you told me, Chey," Jon said quietly. Cheyanne looked towards him, and he crossed his arms. "Do it."

Cheyanne sighed and turned back to Gary, who was watching her carefully. She shifted her eyes to the floor. "I want to see the rest of the journey through."

"Well, that's not surprising at all," Gary answered immediately. She looked up in surprise, and he nodded in understanding. "You've started the journey, and now you want to finish it. You were always a finisher, Cheyanne."

She smiled slightly at his acceptance, but Jon was flabbergasted. "No! Gary, you were supposed to tell her she's nuts! Now she's going to go back into a coma and never wake up again!" He slapped his hand against his forehead. "Why did you do that?"

"Jonathan, there is no guarantee Cheyanne will even be able to return to Middle-Earth," Gary told him calmly. "Her dreams may be over."

Hearing this, Cheyanne frowned. She didn't want them to be over. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she understood why Jon believed she was crazy. She wanted to return to a fake place via a dream.

Maybe Jon was right. Maybe she was crazy.

Crazy or not, she knew that she wanted to finish what she had begun. If she couldn't she would be very upset.

This must have shown on her face, and Gary lifted an eyebrow. "I wouldn't count on her dreams being over, however. It's unlikely they could have just ended there."

Jon huffed in contempt. He leaned against the wall beside the door of the store and hung his head for a long moment. After a time, he looked up and let out a breath. "If you're dead set on going back, then I'm not going to say anything other than that you're insane. I hope you realize it."

"I do," Cheyanne assured, "and the problem is that I don't care. I need to see the journey completed, and if that means going back to sleep for a _month_, then I will."

Jon shook his head. "I'll never understand you, Cheyanne Phillips," he told her solemnly. "And in a way, I'm sort of glad." He leaned away from the wall and put his hand on the door handle. "I still have the key to your apartment. If you don't appear in a week, I'm coming to check on you."

Cheyanne smiled at how much he cared. "Thank you, Jon. I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." The bell over the door jingled, and Jon left. Cheyanne watched him walk down the street through the big bay window before she turned to Gary.

The bookstore owner was already gazing at her. "Are you positive?" he asked her. "I don't know when you'll wake up again if you're not."

"How do you know so much about this, Gary?" she asked him curiously, avoiding the question.

Gary merely smiled and tapped the side of his head. "Need to know, Miss Phillips."

Cheyanne frowned, not understanding, but she didn't push it. Whatever secrets the old man had were his to keep. She wasn't going to try and get it. She'd been trying to do that for a long time, and nothing ever seemed to click.

Rather than question him further, she dipped her head. "I guess I'd best go home and go back to sleep."

Gary eyed her. "Don't you want to eat something first? You look a little pale," he said gently.

"I already tried eating. I didn't go very well. And besides, I'm not hungry. In fact, what I want more than anything right now is to go back to bed," Cheyanne realized. She shook her head. "I don't get it, G."

"You probably never will. At this point, you can only go back to sleep and finish what you've started," replied Gary.

"Then that's what I'm going to do!" Cheyanne said in determination. "I'll see you, Gary, though I'm not entirely sure when."

"Me either, kiddo," he answered, "but it'll happen."

"Thanks, G," Cheyanne said. She ducked out of the store and went back up the street to her apartment building. She gazed up at the building, letting out a breath. "Please, take me back," she said quietly.

When she reached her apartment, she put on different clothing before going into the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment. Her eyes shifted to the laundry hamper, and she turned to it. Reaching into the pocket of the pants she'd worn before, she lets out a noise of surprise when her fingers touch something cold.

She pulls out the crystal Fili had given her. It sparkled in the lights of the bathroom, and, when she stepped out, shutting them off, it glowed in the daylight coming from the window.

"I can't believe I still have it," she whispered to herself.

Shaking her head, she slides the crystal into her pocket. She paused however, realizing it was possible she would lose it if she did manage to go to Middle-Earth. She glanced at the bookshelf in the corner of her bedroom and bit her lip. Should she leave it behind?

After a moment of deliberation, she decided against it. She would just have to keep it safe.

She gazed around her bedroom one last time. There was no reason to check if anything unnecessary was plugged in because she hadn't changed a thing from before. She was ready to try and continue the journey.

Cheyanne laid down on the bed and flipped over. It was almost obnoxious how quickly she fell asleep once her head hit the cold side of the pillow. As soon as she felt a cold breeze on her face, she opened her eyes and found herself gazing out over a plain from somewhere high up.

She grinned to herself. She was back.


	9. Dos - Naming the Ship

**So, this time, I'm going to try to do a better job of cutting chapters so they aren't really long or really short. Because of this new goal, chapters will probably be around 3,000-4,000 words in length every time. Hopefully, that's good for everyone. I did not mean for the first part to only have seven chapters.**

**That's just ridiculous.**

* * *

"Cheyanne!" She turned at a familiar voice and saw Fili approaching her with a grin. "What are you doing up here?"

She shrugged happily as he joined her up on the rock. "Admiring the view." She looked over at him. "Where's everyone else?"

Fili gave her a sideway look and pointed. "Down there, in the same place we have been." He tilted his head. "Are you alright?"

Cheyenne nodded. "Of course I am," she said. "I guess the altitude gave me a brief lapse of memory." She slid down off of the rock and went to join the rest of the company down the path aways. As soon as she approached, Dwalin stalked over to her.

"What were you doing, wandering off by yourself?" he demanded.

She frowned. "I just went up the path a little. It's not like I decided to climb out of the mountains without you."

Dwalin glanced over his shoulder briefly before turning back to her. "I know, lass. Truth be told, Thorin was the one who was furious you walked off. He told me to scold you when Fili brought you back."

"That's nice," she laughed. "Thorin worrying about me. Funny, Dwalin. Very funny." She walked away from him towards Gandalf. The wizard was sitting on a rock, and he looked up at her approach. "Lucky stuff, that was."

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"The Eagles. They appeared just as we were at the end of our ropes. Very hero like," she explained.

"Perhaps it was pure chance," Gandalf said thoughtfully.

Cheyanne shook her head with a chuckle. "Alright, wizard," she said, "you can keep your secrets. I already know what they are."

"Do you?" Gandalf gazed at her contemplatively. "Perhaps you would like to share your own, then."

Cheyanne winked at him. "Not just yet, I'm afraid. Still too early in the journey for that." The wizard continued to study her, and she thought she saw something written on his face.

Frowning, she started to ask him something, but there was a noise from somewhere nearby, and Cheyanne turned to see Bilbo running towards them from down a path, eyes wide. The dwarves all hurried forward to speak with him, as did Gandalf. Cheyanne approached more slowly.

"How close is the pack?" Dwalin asked the hobbit.

"Too close," Bilbo replied, breathing heavily. "A couple of leagues, no more, but that's not the worst of it."

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" questioned Dwalin. A few of the dwarves murmured at the thought.

"Not yet, but they will," Bilbo told him. "We have another problem."

"Did they see you?" Gandalf looked down at the hobbit. "They saw you!"

Bilbo waved one hand. "No, that's not it."

Gandalf smiled and turned to the dwarves. "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material."

The dwarves all chuckled in appreciation. Cheyanne caught Bilbo's eye, and he gave her an exasperated look before raising his voice above the laughing. "Will you listen- Will you just listen to me? I'm trying to tell you there is _something else_ out there."

The laughing stopped immediately, and the dwarves glanced around at one another in worry. Gandalf gave the hobbit a serious look. "What form did it take? Like a bear?"

"Ye-" Bilbo paused and looked curiously up at the wizard. "Y-yes, but bigger. Much bigger."

Bofur stares at Gandalf. "You knew about this beast?" he asked him. Gandalf walked away a few paces, catching Cheyanne's eye as he did so. She shrugged, and he furrowed his brow. Cheyanne stepped further into the discussion. "I say we double back," Bofur said.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs." Thorin stood across the circle from her, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning when she saw him. He glanced at her and gave her a look. She returned it just as Gandalf spoke up.

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

Thorin looked at him. "Whose house?" he asked. "Are they friend or foe?"

Gandalf glanced down at Cheyanne. "Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us."

The dwarves all look at one another in concern. At last, Thorin sighed. "What choice do we have?"

A roar came from somewhere behind them, and they all looked in the direction it had come from. "None," Gandalf responded. He turned and waved his staff. "Down the mountain, quickly!"

The company made it down the mountain in record time, and they all sprinted across a plain of land towards a forest in the distance. Ducking under low hanging branches, the dwarves all ran on ahead. Cheyanne and Bilbo followed them, and Gandalf hurried after them. The company raced through the trees, and Cheyanne thought she could heard the sounds of claws over undergrowth and the grunting of Orcs somewhere nearby.

There's another roar, and the party stops dead in fear. Gandalf runs to the front. "This way, quickly!" he shouted.

The others panic and run after him. Bombur lingered behind, and Bofur pulled his arm. "Bombur, come on!" he exclaimed.

They made it out of the forest, and Cheyanne spots Beorn's house up ahead in the middle of the plain. Gandalf urged them on, yelling, "To the house! Run!"

The company hightailed it across the plain, and Bombur overtook them all in fear. They run through a gate in the hedge surrounding the house, and Gandalf gestured to the door. "Get inside, quickly!"

The dwarves all run forward towards the door. There is a clunk as Bombur runs into it and falls onto his back when it doesn't budge. There's a roar and Cheyanne whips around. A giant black bear breaks through the edge of the forest and runs across the plain towards them.

She turned back to the dwarves. "Open the damned door!" she shouted at them.

"Quickly!" Thorin pushed his way through the others, and the doors falls open. Everyone rushes in just as the bear comes over the hedge. The dwarves all try to slam the door shut, but Beorn already has his head in. He roared again, loudly, and the dwarves all yell and push on the door to close it. Bilbo pulls out his sword and holds it up, pointing it unsteadily at the bear.

Gandalf and Cheyanne exchange a look of amusement at this display. "Do you think we should tell them?" Cheyanne asked him quietly.

"No, they will find out on their own," Gandalf responded.

"Come on, lads!" Dwalin encourages. With a final shove, the door is pushed closed and the bolt is dropped across it. The group lets out a sigh of shock and tiredness.

"What _is_ that?" Ori asked, looking at Gandalf for an answer.

"That… Is our host," Gandalf told him. The others turned to look at Gandalf in bewilderment, and he smiled at Cheyanne.

She returns it and looks at the dwarves and Bilbo. "His name is Beorn, and he is a skin-changer," she told them.

"You knew about this?" Thorin questioned.

"Of course I did," she replied. "Gandalf was the only one who asked."

The dwarves grumble to themselves as Gandalf says, "Sometimes he is a huge black bear, and sometimes he is a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not over fond of dwarves."

They all glanced at each other in dismay. Ori turned back to the door and pulled it open a crack. "He's leaving!" he said.

"Come away from there," commanded Dori, pulling his little brother away. "It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious he's under some dark spell."

"Don't be a fool; he's under no enchantment but his own," Gandalf said. The dwarves mutter in response, and the wizard gestured with his staff. "Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight."

The dwarves all look around at one another before, in silent agreement, they file down the small set of stairs leading to the middle of the room and then head for one of the side rooms that break off from the center of the house. Gandalf watched them go. "I hope."

"We'll be fine," Cheyanne assured him.

Gandalf glanced down at her. "I don't doubt that you're right," he told her after a moment, and then walked away himself.

Cheyanne studied the door for a longer moment before she grinned happily to herself and went to join the others. They had all settled down in a side room off of the main one, and were setting up their sleeping mats. She around at them and let out a sigh of contentment. She was very, very glad she'd been able to come back.

Bilbo glanced up from what he was doing and caught her eye. He waved his hand, gesturing for her to come over. She did, stepped past the other dwarves and joined the hobbit near the wall. He looked up at her with big eyes. "We're going to be alright, yes?" he queried hopefully.

"Don't you trust Gandalf?" Cheyanne asked him.

"Of course I do, but I would like a for sure answer from someone who already knows what happens," Bilbo responded.

Cheyanne shook her head with a laugh. "Yes, Bilbo, we're going to be fine." She studied him. "Are you already fine?"

He furrowed his brow. "W-Why are you asking me?" he stammered after a moment.

She shrugged. "I was just wondering." Bilbo glanced away, and she shifted her eyes down to his pocket, where she knew he was hiding the Ring.

Bilbo turned back to her and she quickly looked back up. "Aren't you going to lay out your sleeping mat?" he questioned, gesturing to his own.

"I probably should, huh?" Cheyanne glanced around, mind emptying. "Except I don't know where it is."

"Chey." She turned, and Fili tossed her a rolled up mat with a grin. "Keep an eye on your own stuff," he chuckled.

"Thank you, Fili," she said to him, rolling out the mat. She settled down on top of it, aware that no dinner would be eaten that night. Starring up at the ceiling, she considered telling Thorin about what would be happening in Mirkwood the next day.

She raised herself up onto her elbows and looked around at the company. She spotted Thorin near the opposite wall from her and Bilbo, already lying down, his back to her. Cheyanne sighed. She could always tell him tomorrow.

Someone started to hum, and another joined. Soon, the whole room was filled with the soft humming of the dwarves, and Cheyanne smiled. So much companionship levitated off of the dwarves and circled around her head. It was amazing. She'd never been so happy to be somewhere in all her life.

"Cheyanne!" It was Kili. She looked to where he was lying beside Fili on his own sleeping roll. "If you and Thorin were together, would you want a name?" he asked her, expression serious.

Cheyanne furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"If you were together, would you want to be called something, or would you just rather us call you lovebirds?" Kili queried. Fili hit him on the shoulder, and the dwarf's expression broke. He laughed and rolled over onto his back.

Cheyanne was still confused. Was he talking about like…? Ship names? As in, Bagginshield? Or Kiliel? Because if so, she wouldn't mind one existing between her and Thorin, especially as she watched the dwarf roll over onto his back and glance in her direction.

Swallowing a giggle, she settled down on her own mat and let out a breath, trying to keep her stupid grin off of her face. Thorin hadn't looked at her. There was no way. The humming had died out, and a lot of the dwarves were beginning to make the quiet noises they always made when they were asleep.

"Chey." She turned her head in Bilbo's direction. The hobbit was gazing at her through the slowly deepening darkness inside of Beorn's house. He smiled at her. "I'm glad you're here."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," he answered, "but it's good that you are. I'm really glad I'm not the only hobbit here."

Hearing this, Cheyanne blinked. Hobbit. She was supposed to be a hobbit. Hoping her hesitation hadn't been too long, she met Bilbo's eyes. "I'm glad I'm here, too."

The hobbit rolled over to face away from her. Cheyanne watched him for another moment before she closed her eyes to try and go to sleep.

She twisted and turned for a long time, unable to get comfortable. After what felt like hours, she sat up fully and opened her eyes for the first time. The house was very dark now, the only light was coming from whatever moon was in the sky though the windows.

Sighing, she realized she wasn't tired. She stood up and carefully stepped around all the dwarves, heading for the main room. She walked up the stairs and watched the door as she sat down on the wooden floor and leaned against the wall dividing the higher part of the rom from the lower section where the table was.

She rested her head on her arms, which she placed on top of her legs. She stared at the door, watching the bolt. She knew that they were in no danger whatsoever, and she knew that Beorn would be coming in soon, but she wasn't hot any longer. Cheyanne couldn't sleep when she was hot.

She heard a noise behind her, and she quickly stood up. Thorin was standing at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up at her curiously, and she let out a breath, gesturing towards the door. "He's going to be coming back soon," she told him, "as a man and not a bear."

"And you're out here because of that?" Thorin questioned, crossing his arms.

"I was hot," she answered earnestly. She waved her hand in front of her face. "But now I'm not hot, so it's all good."

Thorin shook his head. "Alright," he said, "it's your choice." He started to turn and walk away.

"Why were you still awake?" she asked him before he could.

The dwarf turned back around to look at her. "I do not know," he said. "I couldn't fall asleep. I was beginning to doze off when you walked by, and woke me up."

"Sorry," Cheyanne apologized. "I didn't know."

"Good night, Miss Baggins," said Thorin. He walked off slowly, as though he didn't want to leave. Cheyanne resisted the urge to call him back.

She settled back down against the wall, staring at the door. Only a few minutes later, there was more noise, and she sighed, leaning around the wall so see who it was.

"Bilbo?" she asked in surprise. The hobbit was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking rumpled, as though he'd been resting uneasily. She stood and tilted her head. "Are you alright?"

"I-uh-" He paused and shook his head. "Will you come sleep somewhere away from the door, please?"

Cheyanne frowned. "Bilbo, it's fine," she insisted.

"I know it is, but I would feel a lot better if everyone slept close," replied Bilbo. He met her gaze. "Please."

Cheyanne let out a breath and walked down the stairs to join him. "Alright," she said, "let's go."

"Thank you," Bilbo said gratefully. She followed him out of the eating area into the large side room. Bilbo stepped over the sleeping dwarves to where their sleeping mats were and gestured to hers with his hand when she didn't follow.

Cheyanne quietly dodged around the dwarves and sank down onto her mat. Bilbo gave her a small grin before he laid down and closed his eyes. She gazed down at the hobbit, smiling to herself. She then felt eyes on her, and she looked up. Thorin was still awake, and was sitting up against the opposite wall, watching her. She was certain this time.

She let out a breath and watched him for a moment. Thorin stared back for a second longer before he settled down on his own mat. Cheyanne gazed at him for another beat before she swallowed thickly and stood up again. Stomach churning with nervousness, she dodged by other dwarves and went over to Thorin's bed roll.

He gazed up at her, one arm behind his head, clearly curious as to what she was doing. "Can I help you with something?" he asked her. She couldn't tell whether his tone was annoyed or amused.

"Scoot," she said before she could change her mind.

"Why?" Thorin queried, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to lay with you," she told him. Thorin merely continued to look up at her, and she sighed. "I'm cold."

She winced as soon as she saw Thorin's barely visible smirk. "I thought you were warm."

Cheyanne wanted to kick herself. "I was, but now I'm cold." She tilted her head. "Please?"

Thorin gave her a long look, contemplating her. Cheyanne was about to turn and walk away when Thorin moved over on his bed roll, opening up a space for her.

Cheyanne was suddenly faced with the last thing she'd expected to happen. She hesitated, unsure if he was playing a trick on her or not. Thorin sighed. "Are you going to lay down, or can I move back?" he questioned.

"No, no. I'm-I'm laying down," she replied, not moving. She swallowed again before she settled down on the mat next to him, putting as much space between their bodies as she could. "Oh, look. I'm already warm again."

Thorin snorted. She felt him drape one arm over her, and she subconsciously slid closer to him, almost completely unaware that she was doing so. When her back hit his chest, however, she flinched in surprise. Thorin's other arm had wrapped around her, and she wasn't able to pull away from him.

"You said you were cold," he murmured, his breath warm on the back of her neck. "I am, too."

"And… Are you getting warmer?" she asked him, her cheeks getting very hot.

"Yes," he answered.

"Good."

They lay in silence for a long time. Cheyanne was afraid to say anything. She heard the door open and close, signifying Beorn had come back into the house. She huddled closer to Thorin, moving his arms to make them tighter around her. The dwarf breathed out a sigh, and she grinned to herself in contentment, all nerves from before gone.

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**D'aww. It's happening. The ship, it's arriving at port! **

**And Kili ships it, apparently. That's cool. I bet Kili would be the biggest shipper of them all. Kili needs a Tumblr and a laptop. **


	10. DoS - Gandalf, What Do You Know?

**Hi, guys! It was cool that y'all reviewed; I appreciated reading that some of you are Tumblr users as well. **

***cough* Y'know... If ya... Wanna follow me... *Ahem***

**Sorry. Jus' kiddin'. **

**Hope ya enjoy this chapter! I think you'll find one of ya was right about the ship name...**

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Cheyanne awoke when she felt a sunbeam on her face. She blinked open her eyes and let out a happy purr when she realized she was still wrapped in Thorin's arms. The sleepy smile on her face disappeared, however, when she felt eyes on her. She allowed herself a look around the room. All of the other dwarves were sitting up and looking at her and Thorin with smirks on their faces.

"Thoranne," Kili said to his brother. "I told you."

"I never disagreed," Fili responded with a shrug. "I just didn't know it would happen this quickly."

"Nothing happened," Cheyanne said quickly, struggling free of Thorin's grasp. The dwarf stirred at her movement, and he sat up in confusion. His face cleared, however, when he realized what the others had seen them doing, and Cheyanne could have sworn she saw his cheeks turn slightly red.

He stood up. "Cheyanne is right," he told them all. "We were just… Keeping one another warm, that's all."

"Alright, Thorin," Balin chuckled. "If that's all it was."

"Did anyone draw that?" Bofur asked, looking around. Ori grinned and held up the book he was holding.

"I woke up two hours ago."

"Ori!" Cheyanne exclaimed. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Nori said with a grunt as he sat up. "I've known that this was going to happen since Rivendell."

"Rivendell?" Kili exclaimed. "No, that's much too early. I'd say it was Goblin Town, when Thorin stepped forward and saved her."

"You're both wrong," said Balin. "I saw Cheyanne looking at Thorin when she first met him in Bilbo's house. She's been fond of the leader of our company since the beginning of the journey."

"I have not!" Cheyanne exclaimed in indignation with a stomp of her foot. She could feel her cheeks getting very red, however. Balin wasn't far from the truth; Cheyanne _had_ been a fan-girl of Thorin when the movies began, but who in their right minds wasn't? She'd seen plenty of stuff with people shipping themselves with Thorin all over the place, including pictures and… And FanFictions…

She shuddered. Was that what her writing in Texas was? A FanFiction? She'd vowed she'd never write one…

Thorin's voice brought her back to the present. "It never happened, do you understand? We will not be speaking of it again."

"Fine, it never happened," Dwalin snorted. "Agreed."

"I want that picture burned," Cheyanne muttered through her hands. If there was going to be a FanFiction, she didn't want a piece of fan-art to go along with it.

"What picture?" She flinched when she heard Gandalf's voice, and she lowered her hands to see the wizard was standing in the doorway. He gave them all a look, but no one responded. The wizard sniffed and said, "Beorn is preparing you breakfast."

At the mention of food, the dwarves immediately started to freshen themselves up. Gandalf waved his hand at Cheyanne, gesturing her over. She stood and hurried by the dwarves to the wizard, ignoring the chuckles and smirks as she passed them. She joined Gandalf, and he led her towards the dining area. Beorn was standing next to the table, and she had to look up rather far to see his face.

The skin-changer tilted his head curiously when he saw her. "A female hobbit?" he queried, looking at Gandalf.

"That is what she says," replied the wizard.

Beorn squatted down, and yet he still wasn't at Cheyanne's level. She had to look up to meet his gaze, and Beorn lifted an eyebrow. "You're no hobbit," he mused, "so what are you?"

Cheyanne didn't give anything away. At least, she hoped she didn't. "If I'm not a hobbit, what else could I be?" she questioned evenly.

The tall man merely continued to stare at her until there was noise nearby. She turned away and saw all of the dwarves standing before them, eyes wide. Beorn rose to his full height, and heads lifted in synchronization. "Welcome," said Beorn, addressing the company. He gestured to the table. "Would you like something to eat?"

Cheyanne silently counted the dwarves as they walked by her to sit at the table. Bilbo wasn't amongst them. She sighed in relief, knowing that if he had been awake to see what the dwarves had, she would never hear the end of it. She went back to the room to fetch him.

Bilbo was just beginning to sit up when she walked into the room where the company had slept. He looked up when she entered. "I guess I'm a little late," he said to her.

"Not very," responded Cheyanne. "Everyone else just woke up. We're all in the dining room; Beorn made us breakfast."

At the mention of food, Bilbo hurried to his feet, pulling on his jacket. Cheyanne smirked as he went past her, following the smell of honey and rolls. Beorn was pouring milk into goblets, walking around the table as he did so. Bilbo slid into a seat next to Balin, and Cheyanne studied the table. The only empty chair was one next to where Thorin was leaning against a wooden post.

He caught her staring and nodded to it. She dropped her shoulders and sat down slowly, a bit uneasy. Beorn glanced up from the milk he was pouring into Bilbo's goblet. "So, you're the one they call Oakenshield," he said to Thorin. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Cheyanne glanced over her shoulder at Thorin. He was studying the skin-changer in muted surprise. "You know of Azog? How?"

Beorn moved onto the next goblet. "My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved." Cheyanne saw Bilbo glance at Beorn and his eyes widen when he saw the remnants of shackles on the skin-changer's wrists. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport," Beorn continued. "Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?" queried the hobbit, pulling his eyes away from the shackles.

"Once, there were many," Beorn answered.

"And… Now?" Bilbo asked, not seeing Cheyanne's warning gesture.

Beorn paused momentarily before setting down the milk jug. "Now, there is only one." No one spoke after that. Beorn gazed down at the party. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?"

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," Gandalf confirmed.

"You are running out of time," warned the skin-changer.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." Just hearing the name of the dark forest sent a chill through Cheyanne. She shuddered, and Thorin put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off.

"A darkness lies upon that forest," Beorn said carefully, voicing her concerns. "Foul things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."

Cheyanne had completely forgotten about the Necromancer. That was what Gandalf and Radagast had spoken about privately after the company had discovered the troll hoard. She frowned, wondering how in the world she could have forgotten it.

"We will take the Elven Road," Gandalf said, and Cheyanne heard Thorin sigh under his breath behind her. "That path is still safe."

"Safe?" asked Beorn. "The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous, but it matters not."

This caught Thorin's attention. He moved closer to the table, standing on Cheyanne's left. "What do you mean?" he asked the skin-changer.

Beorn turned to look at him. "These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive."

Thorin's eyes widened slightly in shock. Cheyanne studied him, and he looked down at her. "Did you know about this?" he asked her quietly.

"I was going to tell you-" she began, but the dwarf looked away before she could finish. Cheyanne let out a pained breath and gazed down at the table. _I should have told him last night._

"I don't like dwarves," Beorn started, causing her to lift her eyes. He was looking down at the table himself, eyes watching something. "They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." As he spoke, he reached down and picked up a small white mouse that had been scurrying along the table, searching for scraps. The skin-changer approached Thorin, towering over him. "But Orcs I hate more," he said at last, lifting his eyes from the mouse. "What do you need?"

"Mounts and provisions, if you have them," responded the dwarf.

"Of course. Send a few of your dwarves with me, and we will go ready them. My animals will take care of the provisions," Beorn said, turning away again. Thorin nodded to Fili and Kili, who both rise and go after the skin-changer. Cheyanne diverted her gaze as Thorin looked towards her.

"Tell me what you know of the Orcs," he said softly.

"They won't bother us for a while yet," she replied, not looking at him. "At least not until we leave Mirkwood. But they are not the issue we're going to be dealing with in the forest." Thorin didn't say anything, and she shook her head. "The Wood-Elves don't like us being there. They catch us and take us to the Woodland Realm."

"Is there no avoiding it?" Thorin questioned.

"No. We lose the path and get cornered by Mirkwood spiders. The Elves save us, but take us prisoner. King Thranduil will attempt to make a deal with you, but you get angry and flat out refuse." She cautiously glanced up at him. "The greedy part of you Beorn was just talking about."

Thorin let out a breath through his nose and looked over the table at Balin. The older dwarf returned the look, and Thorin looked back down at Cheyanne. "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for," she answered with a weak grin.

Thorin walked away from her to speak with Gandalf, and Cheyanne looked across the table towards Bilbo. The hobbit met her gaze and shrugged. She gestured with her head and stood. Bilbo joined her a few paces away from the table, and she gripped his upper arms in her hands.

"Listen, I know that you have a Ring," she told him quietly. Bilbo looked at her, feigning confusion, and she rolled her eyes. "I don't care how you got it, but I need you to know that you're going to be using that Ring to save us in Mirkwood soon."

"Alright…" Bilbo said carefully, beginning to turn away.

Cheyanne moved her hands to his cheeks and made him look at her. "Do not let it change you, Bilbo," she ordered. "It will try to, I can promise you that, but you must not let it."

"Chey, you're beginning to scare me a little," said the hobbit, words shaky.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just trying to warn you before you do something you regret." Bilbo stared at her for a long moment, eyes wondering. She met his gaze. "Promise me."

The hobbit nodded a second later. "I promise."

Cheyanne smiled and leaned forward, kissing him on the forehead through his hair before pulling him into a hug. Bilbo returned it after a brief hesitation with a long sigh. "I want to go home, Chey," he said quietly.

"I know, Bilbo," she replied, hugging him tightly. "I know."

The two of them hugged for a very long moment, until Thorin approached. "It's time to go," he told them.

Cheyanne released Bilbo before he let go of her, and she saw Thorin frowning. She returned the look, confused. "Are you alright?"

"No," the dwarf answered coolly. "I am not alright, but it doesn't matter. Come on, Beorn is waiting for us with the ponies."

The other dwarves met them at the door, each carrying their packs over their shoulders. Dwalin was holding Bilbo's, and he handed it to the hobbit. Cheyanne continued to stare at Thorin, who was gazing straight ahead grimly. "What's going on?" she asked him as the company went outside.

"I do not want to talk about it," muttered Thorin in response. "Let's just say that wizards are not someone who you should try to have a serious talk with."

Thorin walked away from her, and Cheyanne let out a sigh. Bilbo watched the dwarf walk away before looking up at Cheyanne. "You like him, don't you?" he questioned.

Cheyanne didn't give him an answer. She instead went over to one of the ponies Beorn had brought them and climbed up into the saddle. She silently reached down to help Bilbo up behind her.

"Go now, while you still have the light," Beorn was saying as she wheeled the pony around. "The hunters are not far behind."

On a silent command, Gandalf urged his full-sized horse forward, and the company rode away from Beorn's house across the green plain. They travelled without speaking, flying over the grass on the backs of their ponies. Cheyanne's hair whipped around her face uncomfortably, a strand going into her mouth every few moments after she spat one out.

After only fifteen minutes or so of riding, the company pulled up short as they neared Mirkwood. Cheyanne gaped at the gloomy forest, eyes widening. Even from where she stopped her pony, she could feel the evil seeping from the dark woods.

Gandalf dismounted, and the others followed suit as the wizard approached an ancient archway at the tree line. "The Elven Gate," he said slowly. He turned around and called to them; "Here lies our path through Mirkwood."

"No sign of the Orcs," said Dwalin. "We have luck on our side."

Cheyanne looked over her shoulder back across the plain. She saw the outline of a big black bear in the distance on a ridge, watching them.

Gandalf had seen him, too. "Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master."

A few of the dwarves set to taking the saddles off of the ponies as Gandalf turned back to the forest. Cheyanne and Bilbo went after him, and the hobbit slowed as he got closer. "This forest feels… sick," he said, frowning, "as if a disease lies upon it." He looked over at Gandalf. "Is there no way around?"

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south," answered the wizard. He stepped into Mirkwood, and Bilbo looked at Cheyanne.

"I'm going to guess that isn't an option?" She shook her head, and the hobbit huffed, walking away a few feet. Cheyanne turned away from him and saw Thorin standing alone by the edge of the trees a couple of yards away, arms crossed. She released a breath and slowly approached him.

"Thorin?" she began cautiously. He glanced sideways at her and turned away again. She tilted her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't want you over here looking annoyed." She grinned. "Of course, you always look annoyed, but…"

The dwarf showed no sign he'd appreciated her joke. He didn't looked up, and Cheyanne stepped closer. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thank you," he said under his breath. "I appreciate it. Right now, however, we need to focus on the task at hand." He looked at her, and she could tell the small smile he was giving her was genuine. "We'll talk once we get out of Mirkwood."

She gazed at him a moment longer before nodding submissively. Thorin walked over to her and placed one hand on the back of her neck. She tensed under his touch and looked up, meeting his eyes. "I really do appreciate it, Cheyanne," he told her sincerely.

"You've never called me by my first name before," she said weakly.

"There's a first time for everything," said Thorin in reply. They gazed up at one another for a long moment until Thorin broke the eye contact and moved past her. Cheyanne quaked, afraid her knees were going to buckle beneath her. As Thorin walked away, Bilbo approached, grinning widely.

"What was that about?" he teased.

"Nothing," she said quickly, clenching her fist so he wouldn't see her hand shaking.

"I don't believe that at all!" exclaimed Bilbo. "It looked like you two were having a moment."

"If we were, do you really think I'd tell you about it?" she demanded, her cheeks flaming.

The hobbit grinned. "Is that why you're not?" he questioned.

"Bilbo-"

"Not my horse!" Gandalf appeared from Mirkwood, hurrying over to where Ori was about to pull the saddle off of the animal. "I need it."

Bilbo and Cheyanne exchange a glance before scurrying over to the wizard and the dwarves. "You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked, worried.

"I would not do this unless I had to." Gandalf glanced towards Thorin, who looked away with a frown. Gandalf then turned to look at Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins," he said slowly. "You're not the same hobbit as the one who left the Shire."

Bilbo glanced sideways at Cheyanne, who merely lifted her eyebrow, knowing just what he was silently asking. "I was going to tell you," the hobbit started, turning back to Gandalf. "I found something in the goblin tunnels."

"Found what?" questioned the wizard, looking down at Cheyanne, who turned her eyes away from his beseeching gaze. He leaned towards the hobbit, curious and suspicious.

Bilbo fumbled with his pockets for a very long moment. "My courage," he said at last.

Gandalf lifted a gray eyebrow. "Good. That's good." Bilbo smiled wanly, but the wizard didn't return it. "You're going to need it." He looked at Cheyanne again. "Take good care of my burglar."

"Gandalf, wait-" Cheyanne started, wanting to ask him what he knew about her being there, but the wizard mounts his horse and shakes his head.

Cheyanne frowned and bowed her head submissively. Gandalf turns to speak to the company as a whole. "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me." As he said this, he turned and gave Thorin a hard stare, which the dwarf returned. Gandalf wheeled his horse around. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Bilbo asked no one in particular. Cheyanne merely put her hand on his shoulder.

"You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf started to ride away, calling over his shoulder: "No matter what may come, stay on the path!"

The company watches him ride away into the distance before they collectively turned to Mirkwood. "Come on," Thorin said, stepping forward. "We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day."

"Durin's Day," Dwalin said with a grin. He looked around at the others, determination in his eyes. "Let's go!"

"This is our one chance to find the hidden door," concluded Thorin. He nodded to the woods, and everyone filed after one another into the trees along the path. They didn't walk for long before the path turned a corner, and Thorin stopped, staring at the ground closely. "The path goes this way," he said to them at last, following it deeper into the trees.

The path took them around twists and turns, over fallen logs and across high ledges. Dwalin eventually took the lead, thumping the ground with the end of his hammer to keep the paving stones of the trail beneath the company's feet. Cheyanne could feel her head getting woozy as they walked along, and she gazed around the forest at the blues and grays. It was very dark and very gloomy. And very evil.

"This way," Dwalin called to them as the path veered sharply around a particularly evil looking tree.

The company walked and walked, and soon the dwarves were starting to feel the effects of the forest as well. "Air," gasped Bofur from behind Cheyanne. "I need air."

"My head, it's spinning," Oin groaned, grabbing his skull.

Cheyanne swayed on her feet as she walked before she abruptly ran into Bilbo, who had run into Balin. Thorin, who was walking behind Nori at the front, leaned around the other dwarf. "Nori, why have we stopped?" he demanded.

"The path…" Nori started, pointing at the ground. "It's disappeared."

"What's happened?" Dwalin asked from behind Bofur.

"We've lost the path!" Oin exclaimed in dismay.

Cheyanne leaned around Bilbo. They were standing at the edge of the cliff with no path before them. She groaned and fell backwards onto the ground.

"Find it," she faintly heard Thorin command. "All of you. Look for the path!"

The dwarves spread out and began to search. Cheyanne sat up wearily, gazing around in wonder. The forest was spinning very quickly around in circles, the trees flashing in a rainbow of colors. Thorin approached her, bright purple, and there were eight of him coming at her from all sides, all a different color. She saw him speak, but it came out as Black Speech, and she stood up quickly in fear and walked away from him, spinning around in circles to keep up with the trees.

"I don't remember this place before," she heard Balin slur. "None of it's familiar."

Dori shuffled around in a continuous circle, gazing at the ground. "It's got to be here."

"What hour is it?" Thorin asked. There were no longer eight of him, and the single one was looking around, blinking.

"I don't know," responded Dwalin, somewhere close by. "I don't even know what day it is."

Cheyanne stumbled over her feet and fell down onto a stump where Bombur was sitting. "I couldn't see the light because of the trees!" she sang, attempting _The Last Goodbye_, but it came out all wrong for some reason. "There was no wind, not a breeze!" She hiccupped and the world spun around again as she slung an arm across Bombur's shoulders. "As gross webs cover my lovely Bombur, I will try and focus today!"

She swayed with the big dwarf back and forth as Ori stumbled over a rock and fell. "Look!" he said, as though falling had suddenly given him a burst of energy.

Dori walked over to him and gasped, bending down. "A tobacco pouch!" he exclaimed, holding it up. He glanced around suspiciously. "There are dwarves in these woods."

Bofur took the pouch from him. "Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine!"

Cheyanne saw Bilbo shake his head through blurry eyes. "It is yours!" he told Bofur. "You understand? We're going around in circles. We are lost!"

Dwalin flopped down onto the ground. "We're not lost." He pointed to nowhere in particular. "We keep heading east."

Bilbo huffed. Cheyanne grinned at him woozily, and he walked over to her, taking her face in his hands to focus her attention on him. "Cheyanne, do you know how to get out of here?" he asked her slowly.

His face shifted, eyes moving to where his mouth should have been and his nose going up to his forehead. Cheyanne blinked. "You have to look up!" she shouted when his facial features jumped back to their normal places. "The sun, Bobo! Feel the breeze, and watch the butterflies flutter towards Erebor!"

Bilbo looked very concerned and confused. He released her face, and Cheyanne sighed loudly in exasperation. She stood up, taking his chin in her hand before tilting his head back and pointing towards the treetops. "The sun!"

"The sun," said Bilbo in realization. "We have to find the sun!" He took Cheyanne's face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead. "Chey, you're a genius!"

He ran off, and Cheyanne fell back onto the ground, grinning deliriously. She gazed at the ground when her vision blurred again, trying to focus. She faintly heard Thorin shout something, and she looked up in time to see fangs glistening above her.

* * *

**See? Thoranne! It's beautiful! Good job Shinningheart of ThunderClan! I'm very proud of you. Kili would be, too.**


	11. DoS - Spiders and Flies And Elves

**Hey. What's going on? Got another chapter comin' at ya like a train. Only, not really, cause this one is kinda short compare to the last two.**

**Sorry about that.**

* * *

Cheyanne couldn't breathe. Her eyes flew open, and she saw white all around her. She let out a scream, but it came out as a squeak. She couldn't remember a thing… And then it all rushed back to her like a train speeding towards her down a track.

She was wrapped in spider web and about to become one's dinner.

Cheyanne wriggled, but her limbs were stuck in place. The spider had really gotten her good. Panicking, she tried to scream again. This time, it sounded like an actual scream, but it didn't leave the cocoon of web that surrounded her. Instead, it echoed in her ears. She flinched as the web swayed, and before she knew it, she was tumbling downwards. She landed hard, and grunted in pain.

"Help!" she shouted desperately.

The web above her was slashed open, and then Thorin was visible, looking down at her in concern. His eyes softened when he saw she was okay, and she quickly reached upwards, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She'd never been so happy to see someone in all her life.

As she trembled, Thorin returned the hug. "You're alright," he told her quietly. "Everything's going to be fine."

She let him go when she realized that she had just hugged him. Clearing her throat, she mumbled "Sorry" and brushed the rest of the web she was wrapped in off of her.

The others were all freeing themselves as well. Bofur gazed around. "Where's Bilbo?"

"Bilbo!" Dwalin shouted.

"I'm up here!" Cheyanne looked up just as a spider leapt at Bilbo from where he was on a tree branch high above them. Her eyes widened as he struggles with the spider, and she starts to run towards him when the pair suddenly falls from the tree.

"Bilbo!" she yelled, and was pulled to a halt by Thorin, who grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" she growled, pulling against his grip.

"You know he can care for himself, Cheyanne," Thorin said firmly. "We have to move."

Cheyanne sighed, turned to move, and froze. Spiders of all sizes were crawling quickly towards them, clicking and hissing. She stood, paralyzed in fear, until someone bumped against her. "Duck!"

She did as ordered, and a sword flies over her head and into a spider that had gotten very close to her. She uncovers her head and looks up to see Fili standing over her, shaking his own.

"Stop getting into trouble!" he teased, yanking his blade from the spider he'd saved her from.

There was yelp before she could reply, and they both turn to see Kili get snatched by a spider. It drags the dwarf away, and Fili runs after his brother, shouting, "Kili!"

Cheyanne climbs to her feet and hurries towards the dwarves, who were starting to head for a gap in the trees. More spiders were beginning to rain down on them, and Cheyanne ducks behind Thorin as he raises Orcrist to stab the spider that lands in front of him.

She heard a noise and glanced upwards, grinning when she saw Legolas slide down the spider's silk and land on top of it to kill it. He rolls off of it and up onto one knee, knocking an arrow in his bowstring and pointing it right at Thorin as he did so. More Wood Elves appeared, all holding bows and pointing arrows at the company.

"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf," Legolas warned, lifting an eyebrow dangerously. "It would be my pleasure."

Elves had them surrounded on all sides. Truth be told, Cheyanne was glad to see them, because it meant the threat of spiders was gone. She was, however, dreading the talk between Thorin and Thranduil that was rearing its ugly head in the distance.

Kili's cry for help came to them. She turned around and saw the dwarf being pulled away by a spider. Fili moved to help him, but an arrow flew into the spider before he could do anything. Cheyanne twisted around to see Tauriel fly towards them, daggers flashing. She attacked a spider that was coming up behind her after killing like three others. Kili himself was having a problem, and he looked over his shoulder at the She-Elf in desperation.

"Throw me your dagger!" he hissed. "Quick!"

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you're mistaken!" replied Tauriel as she finished off her own spider and whipped around, flinging her dagger into the one that had been about to eat Kili.

The dwarf turned around quickly and gazed at Tauriel with wide eyes. Cheyanne grinned to herself at the admiration in them.

Tauriel pulls her dagger from the spider and shoves Kili towards the rest of the company.

"Search them," Legolas commanded.

His Elves approach, sliding their arrows and bows away in synchronization. The one that came over to search Cheyanne narrowed his eyes at her clothing. He reached into a pocket on her jeans and pulled out the crystal Fili had given to her. She noticed Thorin's eyes change when he saw it, but he turned away as an Elf shoved him around roughly, going through his own pockets.

"Can I have that back, please?" Cheyanne asked nicely, turning to her searcher. The Elf hesitated momentarily before handing her the crystal. She slid it back into her pocket with a huff.

Legolas asks Tauriel something in Elvish. She responded, and the Elf that had searched Thorin passed Legolas Orcrist. He inspects it with a frown, saying something in Sindarin as he did so.

He turned to Thorin. "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me," answered the dwarf.

Legolas pointed Orcrist at Thorin's chest. "No just a thief, but a liar as well," he said darkly before lowering the sword and shouting something in Sindarin.

Cheyanne is pushed forward, and the Elves march the company away from the spider massacre. She saw Bofur glance around before turning to Thorin. She heard him whisper, "Thorin, where's Bilbo?"

The dwarf looked around, but Bilbo was nowhere to be seen. Cheyanne, however, knew exactly where he was. She didn't look over her shoulder, even though Bilbo was trailing after them, invisible because of the Ring.

They are led over a bridge into the happier part of Mirkwood, the Woodland Realm. They stop before a great wooden gate, and the Elves on guard open it. After they had passed through, Cheyanne heard Legolas command them to shut it.

Cheyanne marched behind the others over suspended walkways of the Woodland Realm. It was beautiful, she admitted to herself, though not nearly as beautiful as Rivendell. They passed King Thranduil's throne, and he eyed her as they walked by, no doubt curious as to what she was doing with the dwarves.

They reached the area of the Woodland Realm built especially for the cells carved into the wood.

"This isn't the end of it, you hear me?" Dwalin threatened as he is shoved into a cell.

Cheyanne is placed in the same cell as Thorin. She leaned against the wall as he gripped the bars on the door in frustration. "Don't worry," she told him, "we're going to get out of here."

He let out a breath, shoulders lowering. She heard several other dwarves grunt and the cell doors rattle as they throw themselves against them.

"Leave it!" shouted Balin from the cell he occupied across from Cheyanne and Thorin's. "This is no Orc dungeon; these are the halls of the Woodland Realm. No one leaves here but by the king's consent."

"You hear that, Thorin?" Cheyanne asked with a laugh. "You can let us leave."

"That is not funny," he growled. Their cell door opened, and guard grabbed Thorin. He then reached in and pulled Cheyanne out as well. She lets out a noise of surprise.

"It appears we're being summoned by King Thranduil," she mused to Thorin as the Elf guard led them away from the cells. They back-tracked over the paths until they reached Thranduil's throne area again.

Cheyanne gazed around in wonder as Thranduil appears, cloaked in royal robes. "Some may imagine a noble quest is at hand," he began, addressing Thorin. "A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon." He sat down on his throne and eyed them both. "I would say there is a more prosaic motive in mind; attempted burglary, or something of that ilk."

Thorin didn't say anything, and Cheyanne remained silent as well. Thranduil studied the dwarf closely. "You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule: the king's jewel, the Arkenstone." Thorin shifted at the name, and Thranduil raised his dark eyebrows. It bothered Cheyanne that they didn't match his hair color. "It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that. But there are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight."

He looked over at Cheyanne, who lifted her chin, aware she was being appraised. "Before we speak further about what I have in mind, however, perhaps you would like to explain who your little friend is."

"What does it matter to you?" Thorin asked before Cheyanne could snap at the "little" comment. "She is a part of my company; that's all there is too it."

"I want to know why," Thranduil insisted.

"Tell me what you wish to say, and then we can discuss my hobbit," growled Thorin. He was beginning to lose his patience, Cheyanne could tell. Her heart fluttered at being called his hobbit by Thorin himself, and it took a lot of willpower to keep from reaching over and taking his hand.

Thranduil calmly turned back to the dwarf. "It is simple," he said, bowing his head. "I offer you my help."

Thorin glanced down at Cheyanne, and she lifted her eyebrow, signifying that yes, this was the offer Thranduil was going to make him that she had mentioned before. The dwarf looked back up the Elf. "I am listening."

"I will let you go," said Thranduil. "If you return what is mine."

Thorin smirked and turned away, walking to the edge of the platform they were on. "A favor for a favor," he mused.

"You have my word," Thranduil said, "one king, to another."

"Oh dear," Cheyanne said, _tsking_ her tongue. She looked up at Thranduil. "Now you've done it."

The Elf raised an eyebrow, and she stepped back to await Thorin's rage with her eyes closed. It didn't come, however.

She opened one eye and glanced at Thorin before opening the other. "Uh… That's the part when you get angry and go off about how he has no honor and that he should die a death of flames," she told the dwarf, pointing towards Thranduil as she spoke.

Thorin turned and looked at her. "It appears you were wrong for once, Miss Baggins," he told her calmly. He walked back towards the throne and takes her arm, looking up at Thranduil. "You wanted to know why she's here, didn't you?"

Cheyanne stiffened as she realized what he was about to do. "Thorin," she whispered desperately, "please, don't."

He ignored her, keeping his eyes on Thranduil. "This hobbit can see into the future," he said. "I've seen her do it more than once, and she has never failed to be wrong." Thorin pushed Cheyanne towards the Wood Elf. "If you let the rest of us leave, you can keep her for yourself."

"Thorin!" Cheyanne exclaimed in shock. Her heart ached at this betrayal as she glanced up at Thranduil, who was looking down at them contemplatively.

After a long moment in which Cheyanne feared he would agree, the Elf laughed out loud. "No," he said, chuckling. "I'm sorry, Master Oakenshield, but I cannot take you seriously. I mean, just look at her. She couldn't possibly see into the future, and she is not worth my time." He shook his head. "It's my jewels for your freedom, or nothing."

Thorin released her arm, and she moved away from him, rubbing it. "Why did I believe that would work?" grumbled the dwarf. "You did not help us before, and you will not help us now."

Thranduil frowned. "I see you are just like your grandfather in ways of greed," he said. "I warned Thror of what it would summon, but he would not listen." He motioned with his hand, and guards grabbed Thorin roughly. Cheyanne was taken by less force, as she did not struggle, all the fight gone out of her.

"Stay here if you will, and rot," Thranduil said to Thorin. "Perhaps a hundred years will be enough for you future-seeing hobbit to convince you the gems are not worth it. One hundred years is just a blink in the life of an Elf, Thorin. I am patient. I can wait."

Thorin and Cheyanne are taken back to the cells and tossed into the one they had been in before. The master of keys locks the door and walks away, keys jingling.

Balin appeared from his cell. "Did he offer you a deal?" he asked hopefully.

"He did," Thorin responded, "and I gave him another he should not have refused, though unfortunately, he did." He rounded on Cheyanne. "Why did you stand there holding your tongue?"

"I am not yours to barter away, Thorin Oakenshield!" she retorted angrily. "You can't just give me away because you're too greedy to give the Elf his sparklies back!"

"Do not speak to me of greed," hissed Thorin. "I was trying to do what was best for the company. You didn't cooperate in order to save your own skin."

"Oh please. "What was best for the company"? You tried to give me away so you could keep some crystals for yourself!" she shouted. She fumbled around in her pocket and up her crystal. "Here, you can have this one," she spat, throwing it at him. "Now promise Thranduil his so we can get out of here."

"Thorin, is what she says true?" Dwalin asked from somewhere above them. "Did you offer Cheyanne as a trade for release?"

Thorin didn't respond. He glared at Cheyanne for a long moment before he held up the crystal. "Thank you for giving this back," he said sourly. "I was beginning to think having Fili give it to you for me was a waste. I see now that I was right."

Cheyanne's eyes widened. Thorin walked past her deeper into the cell, and she turned with his movements, watching him. When he'd disappeared into the shadows at the back of the cell, she groaned and covered her face with her hands, sliding down the wall into a squatting position.

"God," she half-sighed, half-groaned. "I need a drink."

A long time went by before Cheyanne heard talking coming from above the cell. She went to the door and leaned against the bars to listen. She didn't have the ears of a hobbit, but she could tell it was Kili. Someone responded, and Cheyanne assumed it was Tauriel. That's when she heard Elves laughing in the distance.

"Some sort of celebration." Thorin spoke to her for the first time since he'd stalked away, and Cheyanne jumped slightly at his voice. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him step closer to the cell door. "Probably celebrating our capture."

Cheyanne turned away from him and back to the door. "It's the Feast of Starlight," she told him. "Wood Elves love starlight; they think of it as memory."

"I remember the first night after Smaug took Erebor from us," Thorin said quietly from behind her after a moment. "It was cold, and the air stank of smoke and brimstone even after all the miles we'd marched to get away."

Cheyanne glanced over her shoulder at him. Thorin was staring at the floor of the cell, deep in thought. "Our people were terrified. We had no shelter, no food. I kept looking up at the sky and wondering why this had happened to us." His eyes closed. "The stars were blood red that night, though I'm not sure if it was just for me, or if everyone else saw the fire reflected in them."

Thorin's eyes opened again, and he looked up her. "That's my memory. Do you have one?" he asked.

Cheyanne gazed out the cell door, thinking. After a moment, one came to her. "My father… We used to go outside at night, and we'd lie down in the grass. He'd point to the stars and give them names. He'd tell me that when people died, they became stars, and that they got to choose what the name of their star would be. At the time, I believed him, because I thought he was the smartest person in the world." She closed her own eyes, remembering looking up at the stars as a child. "When he and my mother died, I would go outside and look up the stars, trying to figure out which ones they were and what they had named them."

She opened her eyes again and leaned her forehead against the bars. "After a time I realized that my father had been wrong."

"Why?" Thorin questioned softly.

"Well, first because there was no way he would have known the names of all those stars, and secondly because none of the stars were bright enough to have been my parents," Cheyanne responded. She laughed at herself. "I was a ridiculous child."

She listened as Thorin approached, and then he was beside her at the cell door. "Not at all," he said gently. "I hadn't known you lost your parents."

"Everyone loses their parents eventually," Cheyanne told him. "You've lost yours, haven't you?" She didn't turn to look at him, even though she could feel his eyes on her. "We're not exactly on the same boat, but we're pretty close."

"You always speak so strangely," commented Thorin.

"You should hear yourself from my end, pal," Cheyanne replied, grimacing as soon as she had said it.

"Pal?" Thorin queried, amused.

"Don't ask."

A silence filled the cell again. Cheyanne was well aware of Thorin gazing at her, and she was afraid she would crumble if she turned to look at him. Instead, she turned away from the cell door and moved deeper in, wrapping her arms around herself. Thorin turned around as well and continued to watch her. He was holding something, absentmindedly playing with it. She lifted her eyes from his hand and made the mistake of meeting his.

She felt something unspoken pass between them, and she pulled her gaze away quickly. "I-Is uhm… Are you alright?" she questioned hurriedly, trying the escape.

"Are you?" Thorin answered her question with one of his own.

"Well, I'm still a little upset that you tried to give me to Thranduil, and my back hurts a bit from when Bilbo cut me out of that tree, but other than that I'm fine.""

She saw Thorin bow his head from the corner of her eye as she stared at the wall.

"Cheyanne, I-" She glanced in his direction as he cut himself off and turned away from her. "Gandalf told me before at Beorn's that there's a bigger threat than Smaug. Is that true?"

Cheyanne let out a breath. Gandalf… He had been talking about the Necromancer. The White Council had been talking about him while the company had snuck away from Rivendell. Gandalf was worried about Sauron coming back, and he had every right to be. In fact, that's where he was headed right now, to Dul Guldur to face off against the evil being.

Did she really want to tell Thorin that, however? Especially when he had just tried to give her away because of her knowing things before they occurred? She didn't know what telling Thorin would accomplish; he wouldn't turn the company for Dul Guldur, anyway.

There was no point.

Thankfully, she didn't have to respond, because Bofur spoke up from a different cell: "Do you think the sun's risen yet?"

"No," replied Balin. "The Elves are still enjoying their festivities. Perhaps we should all try to get some sleep."

"That's a good idea," Cheyanne said to Thorin. "We should do that." She started to turn away, but Thorin caught her arm. Whatever he had been holding in his hand was cold, and he slid it down to her own, giving it to her. He then let go of her hand and walked back to the cell door.

Cheyanne didn't have to look down to see what it was he'd given her. She flips the crystal around in her hand briefly, watching Thorin all the while. He was framed by torchlight coming from outside the cell, looking very kingly. She let out a breath to slow her heart and put the crystal into her pocket before she sat down on the floor of the cell and leaned against the wall, suddenly exhausted.

It seemed resisting blue gazes that looked right into you was tiring.

* * *

**Chey, I feel ya. Blue eyes are the worst. I mean, geez. There's just something about 'em. Not all blue eyes, though. Some of 'em are super okay. And not hard to avoid. **


	12. DoS - Barrels and Bards

**So, new chapters on Monday, I've decided. I keep going the way I have been, and I'll been done posting _DoS_ before February is over.**

**Well, that's a bit of a stretch, but y'know. **

**So yeah. That's what I'm doin'.**

* * *

"Let's get you out of here!"

Cheyanne blinked her eyes open at Bilbo's voice. She placed her hand on the wall and stumbled to her feet just the hobbit unlocked her and Thorin's cell. "Good job, Bilbo," she said as she walked past him.

He didn't respond, and went around to all the other cells. The dwarves were all chuckling and speaking enthusiastically about their freedom and Bilbo.

"Shh!" the hobbit exclaimed. "There are guards nearby!" He finished unlocking the last cell door, and Dwalin started to lead them towards the stairs.

"You first, Ori," he said, pushing the youngest forward.

"No, not that way," Bilbo said quickly, cutting in front of them. "Follow me."

Bilbo took the lead and turned the company right around. He took them down a set of stairs and over a pathway, deeper into the Woodland Realm. Somewhere above them, Cheyanne could still hear the Elves partying, but the noises were beginning to die down.

The hobbit took them far, far away from the only way out the dwarves knew about, and they began to get restless.

"You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in," grumbled Bofur.

Bilbo glanced at him from over his shoulder. "I know what I'm doing!"

Bofur unnecessarily shushed him and continued to walk. Bilbo shared an exasperated look with Cheyanne before following. They at last reached a wine cellar deep in the depths of the Wood Elves' home. This was where the hobbit stopped and turned to the dwarves. "Get in the barrels," he said, gesturing to a stack of empty ones.

The dwarves all gaped at him, Oin, whose ear trumpet was rather broken, looked around at them. "What'd he say?"

"For the love of all that is good, get in the barrels!" exclaimed Cheyanne. She pushed Dwalin forward just as they heard Elves in the distance discovering their empty cells.

"Do as they say," Thorin commanded. The dwarves muttered to themselves, but reluctantly climbed into the barrels. Cheyanne and Bilbo helped them, and soon, all thirteen were loaded into the empty casks.

"Now what?" Bofur queried, and all of the dwarves stuck their heads out of the barrels in wonder.

"Hold your breath," Bilbo advised, going over to the lever that released the trap door under the barrels.

"Hold my breath? What do you mean, la-" Bofur's sentence was cut off as the barrels went rolling down the trap door that tilted when Bilbo pulled the lever.

Cheyanne and Bilbo exchanged a look of accomplishment before she saw her realization echoed on the hobbit's face. They'd completely forgotten about themselves. She quickly pushed Bilbo to the edge of the trapdoor before joining him. Just as Tauriel and a few of her guards rounded a corner, she and Bilbo tilted back and slid into the channel below.

Sputtering, Cheyanne swam upwards and broke through the surface. Someone grabbed her shirt and pulled her up, and she gripped the edge of a barrel, blinking water out of her eyes. Dwalin shook his head at her, and she found herself hanging from his barrel.

"Well done, Master Baggins!" she heard Thorin say.

Bilbo waved his hand from where he was handing off of Dori's barrel. "Go," gasped the hobbit.

"Let's go," Thorin said to the dwarves. They began to paddle out of the cave beneath the Woodland Realm, and Cheyanne heard a waterfall up ahead. She gulped just as Thorin's barrel went over the edge, and the other barrels followed suit. Everyone surface, gasping, and Cheyanne spat out a stream of water.

She heard the sound of an Elven horn and looked down the rushing river. The Elves at the guard post built over the water pulled the lever that closed the sluice gate.

"No!" Thorin shouted as his barrel reached the gate. The rest of the barrels bumped against the others. The Elves above them drew their weapons, but a black arrow flew straight into one's back before they could do anything. The Elf fell over the side and splashed into the river, dead.

Cheyanne looked up in worry. Orcs came out of the trees on the banks of the river. Some climbed onto the guard post and killed the remaining Elves.

"Watch out!" she warned through another mouthful of water as a dead Elf sent a wave into her face. "Orcs!"

Their leader, Bolg, who was Azog's son, (whatever lady orc had given him a spawn was one wicked chick indeed) shouted something in Black Speech. It must have been a command to kill because the Orcs suddenly flung themselves towards the barrels.

Cheyanne huddled closer to Dwalin's barrel as the dwarf elbowed an Orc in the face. Bilbo stabbed one in the throat with Sting. Cheyanne looked desperately up at the lever that would open the sluice gate. Kili had already seen it.

The dwarf scrambled from his barrel onto the bank, ducking under an Orc that swung a sword his way. "Kili!" shouted Dwalin as he tossed him the sword he'd gotten from the Orc he'd punched. Kili caught it and killed the Orc that was attacking him.

Cheyanne watched the dwarf's movements, silently sending up a prayer that he wouldn't get shot at. Kili reached the lever, and she looked in Bolg's direction a second to late, and saw him release an arrow.

"Kili!" she yelled quickly. He turned to look at her, and the arrow grazed his leg instead of embedding itself into his calf. Kili still gasped in the sudden pain and shock, reaching down to nurse the wound.

"Kili," Cheyanne whispered, eyes wide at what she'd accomplished. She'd managed to save him from an even worse wound, the first thing she'd changed during the whole journey.

An Orc snuck up on the dwarf, prepared to kill, and an Elven arrow flew into its head. Cheyanne pulled herself up higher and saw Tauriel appear, releasing another arrow. Other Elves followed after her, Legolas included. They started attacking the Orcs still on the banks.

Kili grunted and reached up, pulling down the lever. The barrels started to move again, and Thorin's dropped over the edge of another waterfall.

"Kili!" Fili called to his brother. He managed to slide off of the guard post and into his empty barrel with a groan of pain. The remaining barrels went over the waterfall. Cheyanne's grip almost slipped, but Dwalin quickly grabbed her and she adjusted it, holding on tighter. Her head broke through the water and she choked out a cough, throat burning.

The orcs were following them along the banks. One leaps at Thorin, feeling lucky, and he stabs it with a sword he'd grabbed before. There were more dead Orcs in the river as the elves running after the barrels shot arrow after arrow.

Another jumped at Balin, and it gets impaled to an overhanding tree branch by Thorin's sword through its neck. The weapon it drops is caught and thrown from dwarf to dwarf until it reaches Fili, who kills another Orc.

Cheyanne shoved against one that had landed on Dwalin's barrel. The dwarf head butted the ugly thing off of the barrel and stole its axe in the process.

A low hanging branch was rapidly getting closer, and Orcs were running down it on both sides. "Cut the log!" shouted Thorin, reaching up and doing just that.

Dwalin was the last to strike the wood with his axe, and the branch snapped in half, sending the Orcs into the river.

"Bombur!" Dwalin yelled, tossing his axe to the other dwarf. Bombur caught it and Cheyanne watched him kill an Orc that had landed on his barrel before getting vaulted up and over a tree branch by the Orc's spear and onto the bank. The barrel Bombur was in rolled over several Orcs, flying over the river to the opposite bank and killing some more before it came to a stop.

Cheyanne gazed at it, waiting. Bombur punches through the wood, axe blazing, and kills all the Orcs around him. Once he had finished them off, he runs to the edge of the bank, tosses his axe towards Dwalin again, and jumps gracefully into a barrel.

There's a grunt from Dwalin, and Cheyanne turned away from Bombur to see Legolas with one foot on his head and the other on Oin's. He easily shoots Orcs from this perspective, and manages to kill two with one arrow. He then leaps majestically from one dwarf head to the next before he reaches the bank and begins to fight an Orc.

One snuck up behind him, and Cheyanne watched as Thorin threw a sword into the Orc's back before it could kill the Elf. The two exchange a look and Legolas stops, leaving the barrels to continue down the river.

Cheyanne watched the Elf fade into the distance as eh barrels moved on. No more Orcs chased them; it appeared they were all dead or still fighting the Elves. Cheyanne got a better grip on Dwalin's barrel and spat out some more water.

Now she could say she'd traveled down a river on the side of a barrel while being attacked by Orcs. One thing to strike off the bucket list, she supposed with a silent chuckle to herself.

Or rather, the_ barrel_ list.

The river eventually calmed down. Cheyanne still clung to the side of Dwalin's barrel, shivering. The dwarves paddled along with their hands, and she glanced towards Bilbo. He'd been smart enough to climb onto an empty barrel. His eyes met hers, and she gave him a weak grin through chattering teeth.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asked them all.

Balin twisted in his barrel to look. "Nothing that I can see," he said after a moment.

"I think we've lost the Orcs," Bofur said. Water was sloshing over the edge of his barrel, and the ends of his hat flaps were dripping.

"Not for long," Thorin said darkly. "We've lost the current."

"Bofur is half-drowned, and Cheyanne is shivering so hard she's making the whole barrel shake," Dwalin told him. Cheyanne gave him a grateful look, and the dwarf winked at her.

Thorin glanced towards her and then at Bofur before saying, "Make for the shore! Let's go!"

The company paddled their way to the riverbank, and Cheyanne clambers out of the water onto a rock slab jutting out over the river, shuddering. Bilbo hurried over to her and hugged her to try and warm her up. The hobbit's own wetness only made her colder, and she shied away.

"T-Thank you, b-but your w-wet," she managed between shivers.

She heard a grunt and looked over. Kili had fallen to his knees on the rock, clearly in pain. His leg didn't look half as bad as it would have if the arrow had actually struck him, but Cheyanne could tell it still hurt just as much. Bofur approached him in concern, but the younger dwarf gave him a look that reminded Cheyanne of Thorin.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "It's nothing."

"On your feet," commanded Thorin. He shook his shoulders, and water droplets leapt from his shirt.

Fili looked at him. "Kili's wounded. His leg needs binding."

"There is an orc pack on our tail," Thorin responded. "We keep moving."

"To where?" Balin asked him.

"The mountain," Bilbo said. Cheyanne saw him glance towards it. "We're so close."

"Aye laddie, we are," agreed Balin," but a lake lies between us and that that mountain. We have no way to cross it."

"So we go around."

"The Orcs would run us down, sure as daylight," Dwalin told the hobbit, "and we have no weapons to defend ourselves."

Kili let out a muttered curse. Thorin glanced at Cheyanne, and she nodded to the tree line, silently telling him there was something to worry about. Thorin frowned and thought about it briefly before turning back to his nephews. "Bind his leg," he said. "You have two minutes."

Fili and Bofur went to work. Cheyanne glanced around nervously, watching for Bard. Bilbo noticed this and he gives her a funny look.

She heard a snap, and everyone looked up immediately. Dwalin raised a tree branch threateningly, and an arrow clunked into it, right between his hands. Cheyanne saw Kili grab for a rock, but another arrow knocked it out of his hand before he could throw it. "Try it again," Bard warned, stepped out of the shadows, "and you're dead."

Bard held up his bow and pointed an arrow at them as he walked around the company towards his barge. Balin eyed it for a moment, and he holds up his hands in a peace gesture. "Excuse me," he began, "but uh, you're from Lake-town, if I'm not mistaken." Bard lifts an eyebrow, and Balin nods to the barge. "That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire by any chance, would it?"

Bard lowers his bow and turns away from the dwarf. The company all exchanged glances before they followed the boatman. Cheyanne hurried over to Balin. "Don't mention his wife," she warned under her breath.

Bard climbs aboard his barge and starts to ready it for sail. "Why would I help you?" he asked them.

Balin studied the man. "Those boots have seen better days." Bard climbs from the barge and begins to load the empty barrels onto it. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?"

Bard didn't look up as he responded, "A boy and two girls."

"Oh come on," Dwalin said impatiently. "Enough with the niceties."

Bard stopped and glanced towards the company. "What's your hurry?"

"What's it to you?" Dwalin retorted quickly.

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands," Bard answered, keeping cool.

Balin exchanged a look with Thorin before answering. "We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

Bard eyed Cheyanne and Bilbo. "Simple merchants, you say?"

Thorin, clearly tired of taking this slow, quickly said, "We'll need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?"

Bard fingers one of the barrels, running his hand over the dents and nicks. "I know where these barrels came from," he said after a moment.

"What of it?" asked Thorin, his voice gruff. Cheyanne rolled her eyes in exasperation at the impatience of dwarves.

Bard looks sideways at the company. "I'm not sure what business you had with the Elves, but I don't think it ended well." He turned away from them. "No one enters Lake-town without consent from the Master. And, from what I can see, you have had some trouble with the Woodland Realm, which is where the Master gets all his wealth. He would clap chains on your wrists before risking the wrath of King Thranduil."

He tossed a rope to Balin. Cheyanne glanced at Thorin and saw him mouth, "Offer him more."

Balin turned to Bard. "I'll wager there are ways to enter Lake-town unseen," he said.

"Aye," agreed the boatman, "but for something like that you will need a smuggler."

"For which we will pay double," Balin told him earnestly.

Bard hesitated. He glanced at the company suspiciously for a long moment before sighing and holding out his hand. Balin returns the rope, and Thorin pulled Cheyanne aside from the others.

"What does this give us?"' he asked her quietly.

"He sneaks us into Lake-town under the guise of fish. We then have to sneak into his house through his toilet, and he supplies us with warm, dry clothing and makeshift weapons, which aren't enough for you, of course, and we try to steal some real ones from the blacksmith."

Thorin studied her for a long moment. "I'm being serious," she told him.

"I know," Thorin said to her. "I'm just trying to make sense of all this. Fish?"

"He hides us under some fish to get us into town," explained Cheyanne.

Thorin shifted his gaze to the ground briefly. "What of the Master?" he questioned after a moment.

"He catches us when we try to steal the better weapons, and you give the whole town some grand speech about how the flow of gold from Erebor will help rebuild Esgaroth ten times over or something of the like," she said.

Thorin's frown deepened, and he looked up at her. Cheyanne shrugged. "You're the one that asked."

Thorin let out a breath. "Have you seen anything about the dragon yet?"

They began to walk back to the others, and Cheyanne swallowed thickly. "Well-"

"Board now, and quickly," commanded Bard. "I don't aim to be here when the Elves come searching for you."

Cheyanne glanced up at Thorin. "We will speak more of this later," she told him before she climbed into the barge. Bilbo was approaching Bard hesitantly. The man looked down at the hobbit.

"What's your name?" Bilbo asked him.

Bard hesitated momentarily before answering. "Bard."

"That's a nice name," Bilbo told him. Bard turned away, and the hobbit walks towards Cheyanne triumphantly, pleased with himself.

She laughed. "All you did was ask his name, Bilbo," she said.

"I know, but it's more than any of them did," he answered, nodding to the dwarves.

Cheyanne shook her head and settled down onto the deck of the barge.

Thorin approached her as the barge started to move, and she shielded her eyes so she would be able to see him in the sunlight. "What?"

"Under the guise of fish?" he questioned with a grin.

"You're the one who told me I talked funny," she responded. "I was trying to sound more like you."

"I do not sound like that," he argued quickly.

"Yes you do."

* * *

**Very good. Have a good rest of your weeks. **


	13. DoS - Fish

**Dudes, I forgot it was Monday. Isn't that terrible? I mean, how do you forget it's MONDAY?**

* * *

"Watch out!" Bofur shouted, covering his head. The boat is guided between two tall formations that turn out to be ruins, and some of the dwarves chuckle at Bofur. He uncovered his head and glared at them all. "Don't laugh at me," he muttered.

Thorin glowered at Bard. "What are you trying to do?" he asked him. "Drown us?"

Bard didn't even look at him. "I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here."

Dwalin let out an annoyed sigh through his nose as Thorin returns to the company's end of the barge. "I've had enough of this lippy Lakeman. I say we thrown him over the side and be done with it."

Bilbo seethed visibly beside Cheyanne, and in an angry tone he says, "Oh, Bard, his name is Bard!"

"How do you know?' Bofur queried.

Bilbo gave him a look. "Uh, I asked him," he responded plainly.

"I don't care what he calls himself," said Dwalin. "I don't like him."

"Goodness me," Balin sighed, counting out coin. "We don't have to like him, we just have to pay him."

"We need the things he gives us, y'all," Cheyanne told them. "We don't have a choice." She studied the deck of the barge and leaned against the side. "He's going to try to stop us from getting to Erebor." There was no reason to put it off any longer; she figured she may as well tell them all what happened, at least up until the end of _Desolation of Smaug_.

The dwarves all started to mutter to one another and Thorin looked at her. "What are you saying?" he asked.

Cheyanne prepared herself for an explanation. "There's a prophecy about your return, Thorin," she said slowly. "Bard knows what it is, and it does come true. Pretty much exactly, actually."

"Prophecy?" asked Bilbo in confusion. He glanced at Thorin, who had his eyebrows knitted together. "What prophecy?"

Cheyanne begins to recite the prophecy of Durin's Folk from memory: "_The lord of silver fountains, the king of carven stone, the king beneath the mountain shall come into his own, and the bells shall ring in gladness at the mountain king's return, but all shall fail in sadness-"_

"-_and the lake will shine and burn_," Thorin finished, cutting her off. He lifted his eyes and met hers. "I've heard this prophecy many times. Apparently, it is well known."

"It's certainly got lovely rhymes, doesn't it?" she questioned to lighten the mood that had settled over the company. No one chuckled or replied. She cleared her throat and bowed her head. "In seriousness, though. The prophecy is very true, and each part is going to come into play as early as two nights from now."

"Does that mean we're going to wake up the dragon?" Bilbo asked worriedly.

Cheyanne lowered her gaze again. "We already have," she said quietly.

A stunned silence followed her words. Thorin stepped closer to her and took her chin in his fingers, raising her head so that she was looking at him.

"You're not lying? Smaug is already awake?" he demanded. She nodded, and Thorin closed his eyes, releasing her chin.

"Well, that's it, then," said Balin. "This journey has all been for naught. We may as well ask Bard to turn around."

"Wait a minute," Cheyanne said quickly. She stood. "Don't count it all as a failure just yet. We get into the mountain, but, unfortunately-"

Bilbo cleared his throat and quickly tilted his head down the barge. Bard approached them and held out his hand. "The money, now," he said.

"We won't be paying you a thing until we get out provisions," Dwalin said sternly.

"If you want to see your provisions at all, you will give me the coin now," insisted the boatman. "There are guards up ahead."

Balin exchanged a look with Thorin, who nodded. The older dwarf handed Bard the coin he'd slid into a purse, and Bard took it before gesturing to the barrels. "Everyone needs to get in a barrel, and quickly." He then turned and walked off, leaving the company to do as he said.

"Do it," Cheyanne told them when they all looked at her. The dwarves and Bilbo each hurried into a barrel, and Cheyanne slid into the last empty one just as the barge approached a lone building where a man was standing on a deck. "I'd suck in as much fresh air as you can in about thirty seconds," Cheyanne advised to the others as Bard climbed off of the barge and started to speak with the man.

"Why, what's happening?" Dwalin demanded from another barrel.

"He's talking to someone," responded Bilbo. "And… He's pointing right at us!" There was a pause. "Now they're shaking hands."

"He's sold us out!" Dwalin cursed.

"Take in some air now," Cheyanne said before doing just that.

"What are you-" Dwalin's voice is cut off as dead fish are poured into the barrels. Cheyanne heard the dwarves gag and splutter in surprise, and she rolls her eyes, meeting the gaze of one of the dead fish beside her. She wrinkled her nose and looked away.

"Mahal," someone groaned, and the group of barrels shook as Bard kicked them.

"Quiet," he hissed. "We're approaching the toll gate."

"Halt!" someone called. "Goods inspection. Papers, please." There's a pause. "Oh, it's you, Bard."

"Morning, Percy," Bard said as the boat halted, and the barrels rocked with the motion.

"Anything to declare?" Percy asked him.

"Nothing but that I am cold and tired, and ready for home," replied the boatman.

"You and me both." There's an even longer moment of silence, and Cheyanne swallows against bile she felt rising in her throat. "Here we are," Percy said at last. "All in order."

"Not so fast." Cheyanne flinched at Alfrid's voice. The ugly "town deputy" was one of the worst people she'd ever had the displeasure to view on screen. His actor did a very good job of making people hate him. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm," he said, reading off of Bard's papers. "Only, they're not empty, are they, Bard? If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

"That's none of your business," Bard told him.

"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business."

"Oh come on, Alfrid, have a heart. People need to eat!"

"These fish are illegal!" Alfrid exclaimed, and there's a splash. "Empty the barrels over the side."

Cheyanne's barrel twisted abruptly, and she bit her lip to keep from yelping in surprise as it began to tilt. "Folk in this town are struggling," Bard started as the fish above her began to thin out, falling from the barrel into the canal. "Times are hard. Food is scarce."

"That's not my problem," Alfrid answered.

"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back into the lake?" demanded Bard. "When the rioting starts? Will it be your problem then?"

There is a silence, and the layer of fish above Cheyanne is about to disappear completely when Alfrid said, "Stop." Her barrel returned to its original position, and Cheyanne closed her eyes in relief. "Ever the people's champion, eh, Bard?" Alfrid asked coldly. "Protector of the common folk? You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last."

"Raise the gate!" Percy shouted after a moment.

The boat began to move again. "The Master has his eye on you," Alfrid warned Bard. "You'd do well to remember. We know where you live."

"It's a small town, Alfrid," Bard responded. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."

The barge moved along at a slow and steady pace. After what seemed like ages, it finally came to a halt, and Cheyanne's barrel is knocked over. She crawled out of the fish, gasping for fresh air. The boatman continued on to the other barrels, and soon everyone was free of the fish and gasping on the deck of the barge.

Dwalin brushed away Bard's hand, which he reached out to help the dwarf to his feet. "Get your hands off of me," he growled low in his throat, climbing up.

Thorin approached Cheyanne and held out his hand. She gave him a grateful smile and took it. Thorin pulls her to her feet, and she noticed the dock keeper watching them in shock. Bard went over to him and handed him a gold coin.

"You didn't see them, they were never here," he said quietly. "The fish you can have for nothing."

Bard led the company away from the barge. They walked along, and Cheyanne noticed a woman see them pass, and her eyes go wide. As they crossed over a bridge, Bard's son, Bain, ran up to them.

"Da! Our house, it's being watching!" he said to his father.

Bard glanced at Thorin and grinned when a plan comes to mind. He pulled the dwarf aside, and Bilbo approached Cheyanne, looking concerned. "What is he hatching?" the hobbit asked her.

Cheyanne chose not to reply.

Bain helped her out of the toilet beneath Bard's home, and she hurried up the stairs after Bilbo into the shack on the docks. Bard's oldest daughter, Sigrid, gazed at them in shock as the company filed one member at a time into the house. "Da," she said at last, "why are their dwarves coming out of our toilet?"

"Will they bring us luck?" Tilda, the younger girl, questioned, eyes bright.

Bard came out of a room, blankets and changes of clothing in his hands. He passed them out to the company members and then turned to make a fire in the iron stove. "They may not be the best fit," he said over his shoulder, but they'll keep you warm."

Cheyanne huddled beneath the same blanket as Bilbo, the two of them sharing one another's body heat. Tilda approached them with two mugs of steaming something, and Bilbo took one. "Thank you very much."

Cheyanne took the other and sipped at it. Black coffee. She swallowed a longer sip and looked towards where Thorin was gazing out a window. Leaving Bilbo with the blanket, she stood and joined him, following his gaze to the crossbow like figure on the bell tower in the distance.

"A Dwarvish Wind-Lance," Thorin said under his breath.

Bilbo spoke up from behind them. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He has," Balin responded. "The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came."

Thorin turned away from the window, expression sad. Cheyanne studied him as Balin went on: "The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow, fired from a wind-lance, could have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made."

"Had the aim of man been true that day," Thorin said, looking up, "much would have been different."

Bard, who had been listening to this, approached Thorin. "You speak as if you were there."

"All dwarves know the tale," Thorin replied dismissively.

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot, and he would have killed the beast!" Bain said from behind his father.

Dwalin chuckled. "That's a fairy story lad. Nothing more."

Thorin looked up at Bard. "You took our money. Where are our weapons?"

"Wait here," responded the boatman. He disappeared, and Cheyanne gazed around at the dwarves.

"You're not going to like what he comes back with," she told them softly so the children wouldn't overhear. "Just be ready for disappointment."

The dwarves all nod. Thorin pulled Fili, Kili and Balin aside to speak with them. Cheyanne listened into their conversation.

"Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn," Thorin said to them.

"Durin's Day falls morn after next. We must reach the mountain before then," Balin added.

"And if we do not?" asked Kili. "If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?"

"Then this quest has been for nothing," Fili answered him. "But Cheyanne said we make it, so I'm going to trust her."

"Aye," Balin agreed with a firm nod. "Miss Baggins is reliable, as she has proven. We can trust her."

Cheyanne grinned when she heard this, but what was said next dropped a stone into her stomach: "And if she is correct about the dragon already being awake, what then?" Kili questioned.

"Then we continue on as planned," Thorin answered firmly. "Master Baggins knew the stakes, and he chose to come all the same. Whatever happens will happen."

Cheyanne closed her eyes and backed away from them, shaking. Bilbo. He was going to be okay. There was no reason to worry about him. What she needed to be worrying about was Thorin's mental state. As they were getting closer to Erebor, it was already beginning to deteriorate, and she could tell.

She wondered if anyone else noticed how jittery he was. Just watching him showed that he was twitching. He continuously crossed and uncrossed his arms, like he wasn't sure what way he wanted to be standing. He kept glancing out the window, like he was looking for the Lonely Mountain in the distance.

Cheyanne was worried for him. Thorin didn't realize it himself, but the gold was calling out to him, tugging at his mind so that it was in his thoughts at all time. Singing lamentations like the angels, asking him to come and get the treasure. That was the dragon sickness that was laced in the mountains of gold and other wealth. Like poison in a cup of tea.

Bard returned, cutting her thoughts short, and lay a blanket wrapped bundle down on the table. He unwrapped it as the dwarves crowded around to see what he'd brought. Cheyanne heard grunts of disgust, and she saw Thorin pick up one of the DIY weapons.

"What is this?" he asked, looking up at Bard.

"Pike-hook. Made from an old harpoon," the boatman replied. Thorin put the pike-hook back down, and Kili picked up something that looked like a hammer.

"And this?"

"A crowbill, we call it," Bard explained, "fashioned from a smithy's hammer. It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defense of your life, these will serve you better than none."

Thorin and Dwalin exchange a look, and Gloin gestured to the pile of DIY weapons. "We paid you for _weapons_!" he exclaimed. "Iron-forged swords and axes."

"This is a joke!" said Bofur, throwing the weapon he'd picked up down in disgust. The other dwarves followed his lead, and Bard rolled his eyes.

"You won't find better outside the city armory." Cheyanne noticed Balin glance at Thorin, who was gazing at Bard with interest. "All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key."

Thorin looked at Dwalin, raising an eyebrow. Dwalin shrugged one shoulder in silent agreement. Balin stepped forward. "Thorin," he said gently.

Cheyanne looked sideways at Bard. The man's eyes had gone wide, and she saw him mouth the name.

"Why not take what's been offered and go?" Balin asked the dwarf. "I've made do with less; so have you. I say we leave. Now."

Hearing this brought back Bard's attention. He shook his head. "You're not going anywhere."

Dwalin glared at him. "What did you say?"

"There's spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town," Bard told him. "You must wait until nightfall."

The dwarves mutter under their breaths and settle down to wait in annoyance. Cheyanne heard a grunt of pain and looked at Kili. The young dwarf lowered himself onto a couch with a wince and reached down to look at his leg, but not before glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

She walked over to him and joined him on the couch. The dwarf glanced in her direction and quickly sat up, acting like he hadn't touched the bandage. Cheyanne decided to keep his sense of manliness up as high as she could and gave him a grin. "So, Tauriel?"

Kili immediately turned red. He looked away with a small smile. "What about her?"

"She's pretty," Cheyanne told him.

Kili let out a breath. "Yes," he agreed, "she is." He allowed his eyes to turn back to her. "Do you-"

Cheyanne immediately held up her hands. "That's not my place, Kili." He nodded after a moment in understanding, and she smirked, an idea coming to her head. "But, if it were to happen, what would you like to be called?" Kili lifted an eyebrow, and then his eyes brightened.

Laughing, he looked down at the floor. "I don't know," he said after a moment. "Maybe… Hmm."

"Kiliel?" Cheyanne queried, tilting her head.

Kili laughed again. "Sounds nice," he mused. "Kiliel." The name seemed to taste good to him, because he said it again, softer this time; "Kiliel." The dwarf leaned back against the couch, a dreamy look on his face.

Cheyanne bowed her head and rose. Her work was done. She started to walk away, but Kili grabbed her wrist before she could and pulled her to a halt. "What is it?" she asked, glancing towards him.

"I wanted to thank you," he responded. "Back on the river, you saved me from an even worse wound."

Cheyanne let out a breath and shook her head. "Didn't do much," she commented, glancing down at his leg. It wasn't yet ugly, but she could tell it was hurting him just from looking at it. Kili flinched when he saw where she was looking, and he adjusted himself so his leg was turned away from her, dropping her arm at the same time.

"Thank you, either way," he said quickly, clearly saying that he wanted her to walk away now.

Cheyanne dipped her head and did as he was suggesting. She leaned against the wall next to the window, crossing her arms. Bilbo approached her, face pale. She frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," he said quietly, looking over his shoulder towards Thorin. The dwarf was gazing at them curiously, head tilted, and Bilbo's throat visibly clenched. "I… I keep looking at him and he's _watching_ me. I don't know why he's doing it, but it's scaring me."

Cheyanne released a breath, understanding exactly how Bilbo felt. Thorin looking at you the way he did was terrifying. She met Bilbo's gaze and gave him an encouraging grin. "He's just making sure you don't cut and run," she teased half-heartedly, hoping Bilbo didn't notice how weak the attempt was. "We're so close; it only makes sense that you'd get scared and try to sneak away."

Bilbo shook his head. "Why doesn't he trust me?" he asked her.

"He does," Cheyanne insisted. "It just may seem like he doesn't because really… This is it. If Thorin doesn't manage to get back Erebor, there's nothing left for him to do."

_And, y'know, the Orcs would take over the place and the fiery vagina of doom and darkness would come in and be like, "Yo! This is my crib now, bitches!_" _Then he and Smaug would have an evil party._

But, Bilbo didn't need to know that, because it wasn't going to happen.

She rested her hands on his shoulders. "Bilbo, everything is going to be fine," she told him calmly. "Trust me; I know."

Did she really? Did she know that everything was going to end out fine? In a way, it didn't. Lake-town was destroyed, and so was Thorin's sanity. All because of that friggin' mountain.

So much fuss over a pile of rock and dirt.

And what lay inside its caverns.

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**Stuff's starting to get heavy, ain't it?**


	14. DoS - A Bad Dream Within A Fake Dream

**Hey, how's it going? Love you. **

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"I told you this was a horrible idea!" Balin whispered harshly to Thorin. The company was crouched in the shadows just outside the blacksmith. "We should have just taken the weapons Bard supplied us with."

"And risked getting killed?" Dwalin hissed back for Thorin, who was leaning around the wall to see what was happening.

"It would be better than not reaching Erebor at all," Balin muttered.

"Shh!" Dwalin ordered as two henchmen walked past where they were hiding. Cheyanne swallowed the surprised shout that worked its way to her lips and closed her eyes. As soon as they had passed, Dwalin looked at Balin with an annoyed frown. "Keep it down."

Balin returned the muted glare and turned away with a shake of his head. Thorin turned and gestured to Bombur, Gloin and Dori. The three dwarves hurried around the corner, and Thorin watched them go. He then glanced over his shoulder at the rest of them.

"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain." The company nodded, and Thorin nodded to Nori. The dwarf hurried forward. "Go, go, go!"

Thorin waited a moment. "Next," he said, and Bilbo went forward and disappeared around the corner as well. Another beat passed, and Thorin pulled Cheyanne forward and pushed her around the corner. She climbed up the pyramid Gloin, Dori and Bombur had created outside the window of the city armory and slid into the building.

Bilbo helped her down from the shelf she found herself sitting on. They waited for a few more dwarves to appear, and Kili, Ori, Dwalin and Thorin appeared one after the other. "Come, quickly," Thorin said, reaching for the swords hanging from racks on the walls.

The dwarves pulled other weapons off the racks, and Dwalin handed Cheyanne a heavy hammer. She bended over slightly at its weight, and he grinned at her, laughter in his eyes. She stuck her tongue out at him and straightened up, holding her arms out for another weapon.

She heard Kili grunt, and looked over her shoulder. Thorin was already giving him a concerned look. "You all right?"

The younger dwarf gave his uncle that same look he'd given Bofur on the rock slab by the river. "I can manage," he said firmly. "Let's just get out of here."

"Kili, be careful," Cheyanne warned as he held out his arms again. The dwarf turned the look to her, and she turned back around as Dwalin put another sword down on her pile of weapons.

"Get going before you drop it," advised the dwarf, noticing the strain it was putting on her arms.

Cheyanne nodded and followed Kili towards the stairs. The dwarf made it down two steps before his leg gave out and he collapsed with a cry of pain, dropping the weapons he had been holding. Cheyanne flinched as they all clatter to the stairs, making very loud noises.

There was the sound of boots running outside the armory immediately, and Cheyanne made a grab for a sword, but a pike is pointing at her neck before she can take one. Slowly, she rises to her feet, hands up in the air. "Listen, gentlemen," she said very carefully. "I understand what this probably looks like, but… Y'know. We paid for these."

Behind her, all of the dwarves groan, and Bilbo tugged on her shirt with a shake of his head. She stopped speaking and grinned sheepishly at the guards. "Maybe you should take us to the Master now," she said quietly.

One of the guards grabbed her by the neck and lifted her clean off the ground. "Hey!" Thorin stepped forward to intervene, but another guard pointed his sword at the dwarf. Cheyanne struggled in the guard's grasp, but his grip on her neck was firm.

With her being carried at the front, the company is all shuffled outside and towards the Master's mansion. Multitudes of townspeople followed after them, shouting slurs and throwing things. Cheyanne took a tomato right in the face, and it seemed to slide slowly downwards before it dropped dramatically to the ground.

The townspeople laugh loudly and obnoxiously, and Cheyanne blinked tomato juice from her eyes. They reached the town square, and the guard holding her dropped her to the ground. She landed with an _oomph_, and Bilbo hurried to her side. The guards arrange the dwarves in a line in the center of the square as Bilbo helped her too her feet.

The doors of the mansion fly open, and the Master stormed out, looking rumpled from sleep. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded angrily, sliding his arms fully into a coat.

"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire," the guard that had carried Cheyanne told him. He kicked at her foot with his boot. "This one tried to convince us they'd bought 'em."

The Master eyed the company. "Enemies of the state, then."

"This is a bunch of mercenaries if there ever was, sire," Alfrid told him matter-of-factly.

Dwalin clenched his fist at this. "Hold your tongue!" he said, glaring up at the Master and Alfrid. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal; this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" He gestured towards Thorin, who put a hand on Dwalin's shoulder as he stepped forward.

The Lake-town citizens murmured in amazement, standing up on their toes to get a better sight of the dwarf. "We are the Dwarves of Erebor," Thorin said, taking on the kingly-tone he saved for when he wasn't speaking to someone one-on-one.

_The lord of silver fountains, the king of carven stone._

"We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North!"

As he spoke, he turned and looked around at everyone, not just the Master. Cheyanne saw people nodding in agreement with his words. "I would see those days return," Thorin told them, and he sounded earnest. "I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"

_The king beneath the mountain shall come into his own._

The townspeople begin to cheer, some going as far as to clap and shout Thorin's name. Cheyanne thought she saw the dwarf grow an inch taller as he took in their encouragement.

_And the bells shall ring in gladness at the mountain king's return._

It was cut short, however, as a voice rose above the cheering. "Death! That is what you will bring upon us!" Bard pushed his way through the crowd and glared at Thorin. "Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."

_But all will fail and sadness, and the lake will shine and burn._

The townspeople began to whisper anxiously to themselves. Cheyanne didn't blame them; if they knew the prophecy, they surely knew how the ending had been foretold. Bard was making a valid point.

"You can listen to this naysayer," Thorin began, "but I promise you this; if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"

Cheyanne shook her head as the people's whispers turned to shouts of excitement.

"All of you! Listen to me!" Bard insisted loudly. The people quieted down, and he went on, "You must listen. Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?" The townspeople shook their heads sadly. "Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?"

"No!" A raucous call came up from all the people in the square.

"And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

_The lord of silver fountains, the king of carven stone._

Bard and Thorin glared at each other in silent anger as the crowd gets louder, some agreeing with the dwarf and others with the man. The Master stepped forward and raised his hands. "Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale-" Here he paused and pointed at Bard, "- your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"

Bard turned away as the crowd's voice grew as a whole. Thorin gazed at him in shock, and Cheyanne saw a glimmer of anger light up in the blue depths of his eyes.

"Its true sire," Alfrid agreed above the clamor. "We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing it's mark."

The crowd shouted and cheered at the same time. Bard leaned forward and spoke just loud enough that Cheyanne overheard: "You have no right. No right to enter that mountain."

Thorin glared at him. "I have the only right."

_The king beneath the mountain shall come into his own._

Thorin turned to face the Master. "I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?" he asked him.

The townspeople quieted down and watched their Master in excited anticipation.

"What say you?" asked the dwarf.

The Master paused, probably for dramatic effect, before he grinned and pointed at Thorin. "I say unto you… Welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King Under the Mountain!"

The town square exploded in cheers, and Thorin stepped up the stairs leading to the mansion. Cheyanne saw light glimmering in his eyes, and he seemed to be smiling in satisfaction as he stared at Bard, who gazed right back.

The townspeople began to usher the dwarves towards the mansion, clapping and shouting. Some even went as far as to pick up Thorin and hold him up over their shoulders. "King Under the Mountain! King Under the Mountain!"

_And bells shall ring in gladness at the mountain king's return._

Cheyanne ducked away from the parade of people, hiding in the shadows as they all disappeared into the mansion. At last, she was left by herself. Bard had stayed behind as well, but he didn't notice her. He gazed at the mansion for a long moment before he shook his head in disappointment and stalked out of the square.

When he was gone, Cheyanne emerged from the shadows and gazed around at the empty area. Within the span of a few days, it would all be gone, burned to ash, similar to Dale and whatever else Smaug had chosen to destroy in his years. The people of Lake-town didn't realize it, but they had just invited ruin into their Master's mansion.

_But all shall fail in sadness, and the lake will shine and burn._

Cheyanne sat in her chair, arms crossed glumly. The dwarves were all having a great time, tossing ale back and forth over the big feast that had been laid out before them. Bilbo appeared to be having a grand time as well. He was grinning and laughing at whatever was said to him.

If she didn't know better, she would have said the hobbit was drunk.

Thorin was happy, too. Cheyanne could tell, even though he wasn't quite as expressive as some of the others. His chair was at the head of the table, and he smiled whenever someone spoke to him. Actually, he smiled the whole time; it grew whenever someone spoke to him.

Cheyanne wasn't happy. She was getting anxious, now that they were so close to the mountain. She wasn't sure if she was anxious because she wanted it to be over, or because she was afraid of what was to come. Perhaps a little of both. As she watched Thorin, she realized that it was one more than the other. She didn't want him to go insane. Not at all.

The dwarves partied into the night, long after Cheyanne had retreated to the room the Master had provided her with on the bottom floor of his house. It was at the end of the hall that the company was given, and she sat on the edge of her bed, listening to the sounds of the seemingly never ending party in the dining hall.

She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to try to sleep, or to hide under the covers and fret over what was about to happen and how there was nothing she could do to stop it. She decided to just sit and wait. Worrying wasn't going to do anything. She needed to talk to Thorin.

She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was no longer in her room. Instead, she was outside the doors of Erebor, staring out over the plain towards Dale. The city shined in the distance, cheerful and prosperous, the way it had been before Smaug attacked.

Cheyanne felt someone step up behind her, and she glanced down at her shoulder when they rested a hand on it. It was Thorin; she could tell by the ring on his middle finger.

Grinning, she turned to look at him, and choked when she saw his face. His head was bleeding, his eyes pale and lifeless. He was dead.

She stumbled backwards away from him and tripped on something. She fell over whatever it was and landed hard, afraid to look. When she did, Cheyanne let out a sob. Fili and Kili were on the ground, both dead as well. She crawled backwards away from them all, and went over an edge.

She seemed to roll backwards forever, tumbling down into the darkness. Fire awaited her at the bottom of the never-ending, and at last she fell into it, screaming.

Cheyanne bolted upright with a gasp, her forehead damp with sweat. Breathing heavily, she put a hand over her heart and looked around. She was back in the room in the Master's house. Cheyanne let out a breath and wiped her forehead off with the back of her hand. She couldn't be alone anymore.

She stood up and crept to the door of her room, pulling it open softly. Sticking her head out into the hallway, she realized that there were no longer the sounds of a party coming from the dining hall. In fact, the house was dark. She could barely see anything.

Cheyanne stepped out into the hallway and closed her door. She glanced up the hall, wondering which door she should choose. Deciding that any would be better than being alone, she went to the one across from her own and opened it. She stopped and studied the dark room.

She could see the form of a dwarf (it was definitely a dwarf; too big to be Bilbo) on the bed, his back to her. She swallowed thickly and stepped cautiously into the room, closing the door behind her with a quiet _thud_.

The dwarf stirred at the noise, and Cheyanne froze when he rolled over. Even in the darkness, she could tell who it was.

"Cheyanne?" Thorin's voice was clogged with sleepiness.

"I'm sorry," she apologized immediately. "I-I just- I'll go." She turned to do just that.

"No, Cheyanne, it's alright," Thorin told her before she could open the door. "What's the matter?"

She turned back around, stepping closer to the bed. "I-I had a bad dream," she said quietly, bowing her head.

Thorin was quiet for a moment, and she looked up. He leaned over and there was a _scratch_ as he struck a match and a lit a lantern by his bed, lighting the room in a golden glow. "Thorin, you don't need to do that," Cheyanne told him quickly.

"I want to. Come here and tell me about it," he insisted, sitting up. Cheyanne didn't move. Thorin sighed. "Miss Baggins, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Come." Cheyanne let out a breath and walked the rest of the way to the bed. She sat down on the blank spot beside Thorin, who was gazing at her steadily. "Tell me."

Cheyanne glanced at him. She wanted to, terribly, but she was afraid that if she did tell them, Thorin wouldn't believe her. But, even if he didn't, nothing would change, as usual. "I… I dreamed you and Fili and Kili were dead," she told him.

Thorin gaped at her in surprise, and she felt tears coming to her eyes. She turned away and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come in here." She started to get up and leave, but Thorin locked a hand around her wrist. Silently, he pulled her back onto the bed fully.

He then lifted her hand in his own. Cheyanne hadn't noticed it until now, but he was only wearing a tunic, and it had a deep V-neck down his chest, revealing the muscles there. She swallowed thickly as he pressed her hand to his warm skin. "Do you feel that?" he asked her gently, keeping his eyes on hers.

Cheyanne waited for a long moment, and she could feel his heartbeat after focusing. It was steady under her hand and inside his chest, and it sent an odd sense of calming through her. She nodded, and he gave her a sweet grin. "That's always going to be beating, Chey," he told her. "You don't need to worry about it stopping."

_I wish that were true_.

Cheyanne realized then, as she looked at him, that she didn't want to lose any more time with sickness-free Thorin. She gave him her most pleading look. "Can I stay with you?" Thorin hesitated. "Please?"

"Yes," Thorin agreed after another moment. "I wouldn't mind that."

Cheyanne smiled weakly at him and settled back against the pillow on her side of the bed. Thorin blew out the lantern, and she felt him put a hand on her side, signifying her wanted her to come closer. She did so, scooting back and curling up into his chest. He put her head beneath his chin and held her to him. She could feel the movement of his chest as he breathed against her back, and she relaxed. It was very comforting.

"Chey," he started, quietly, shocking her. She'd thought he'd already fallen asleep.

"Yes?" she asked him.

"I'm sorry for offering you up to Thranduil," he said. "It was a mistake. We need you with us."

Cheyanne smiled sadly when she heard this, and she turned around in his arms, moving her head back so she could look at him. She could barely see his features in the darkness, but she thought she saw him returning the grin. "Thank you for apologizing," she told him. "It was a real one, too."

Thorin chuckled. "It wasn't as difficult as I had thought it was going to be," he admitted. "I should have just done it from the start." Cheyanne closed her eyes when she felt his lips touch her forehead briefly. "_E alyu' zi abnâ_," he murmured to her.

"I don't know what that means," she responded, heart melting anyway.

"It means "I behold your skill" in Khuzdul," he said. "I wish I had seen it before."

Cheyanne hid her face in his chest, a blush creeping up her neck. "You do now," she whispered. "That's all there is to it." _What am I going to do_?

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**All of the fluff, you guys. All of it. **

**Review, please. I have all these follows, and yet barely any reviews. C'mon, y'all. Tell me how bad I am.  
**

**Only, not really, because I don't like criticism. Kthxbye. **


	15. DoS - They Asked

**... And I answered. Praise be the person who asked for more. You made my weak, honey pie. **

* * *

The bells clanged venomously in Cheyanne's ears as she followed behind Bilbo and the others towards the boat that was waiting to carry them to Erebor. The townspeople cheered and clapped as the company strolled through the streets towards the boat, Thorin in the lead, cloaked in royal garb and armed with a real sword.

The other dwarves all wore helmets and things similar to armor, though it was all much too big. Bilbo himself had a helmet on and was walking along proudly, head held high.

They reached the main water channel, and found the boat loaded with supplies that would take them all the way to Erebor, and then some. Bilbo glanced around at the company as the dwarves started to seat themselves on the boat.

"We're one short; Bofur isn't here," he said after a moment.

"I warned him last night he would be late if he drank too much," Cheyanne said. "It seems he didn't listen."

"If he's not here, we leave without him," said Thorin simply.

"We have too," Balin begrudgingly agreed, "if we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays."

Hearing this, Cheyanne glanced sideways at Kili. The dwarf was grinning widely, but she could see the ghost of pain hidden in his brown eyes.

Thorin could see it as well. Earlier that morning, he had risen before her, but hadn't left the room when he did so. She had awoken with his arms wrapped around her, and to the sound of him humming to himself. If only it would continue to be like that, but Thorin hadn't spoken to her once they were out of his room. His mind was set on the task at hand, and Cheyanne knew she would only make it even more difficult if she tried to talk to him about the night before.

Kili started to get into the boat behind her, but Thorin held out his arm and stopped him.

"Not you. We must travel with speed, and you will slow us down," he told his nephew.

Kili smiled, and Cheyanne let out a breath. He thought it was a joke. "What are you talking about? I'm coming with you," he said plainly, trying to climb into the boat again.

Thorin held him back firmly. "No."

Cheyanne bumped Fili's arm, and he turned and watched this with wide eyes.

"I'm going to be there when that door is opened," Kili insisted, "when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin."

"Kili, stay here," Thorin said softly. "Rest. Join us when you're healed." He rested his hand on Kili's shoulder, but Kili's expression displayed how shocked and betrayed he felt. He turned away in silent anger as Thorin climbed onto the boat.

Oin grunted and climbed out. "I'll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded," the dwarf said.

"Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain!" Fili exclaimed as Oin went and joined Kili. "Tales _you_ told us. You can't take that away from him!"

"Fili," Thorin began gently, starting to put his hand on the dwarf's shoulder, but Fili pushed him away.

"I will carry him if I must!"

"One day you will be king, and you will understand," Thorin told him. "I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin."

Fili glanced over at Kili, who was shoving Oin away. He then gave Thorin a final glare and started to climb from the boat. Thorin tried to grab him.

"Fili, don't be a fool," he said. "You belong with the company."

Fili glared at him. "I belong with my brother," he said with some finality, and finished climbing from the boat onto the dock. Cheyanne was half-tempted to get out as well, but she forced herself to remain seated.

She reached up and took Fili's hand. He tilted his head, and she gave him a half-hearted grin. "You'll join us soon," she promised. "Be careful; the Orcs are coming."

Fili nodded and squatted down so that he could kiss her hand gently as music started to play. "Keep an eye on him, Chey," he murmured, nodding towards Thorin, who was watching them. Fili's gaze drifted back to her. "He'll need you."

"Probably," she agreed with a sigh. "Be safe."

"You too," Fili responded, letting go of her hand, and walking over to join Kili and Oin. Cheyanne gazed at them, eyes blurring. She bowed her head and swallowed thickly.

_Be safe, my princes. You will be the ones needed before long._

Thorin gazed at his nephews as the Master appeared up on a platform nearby, and the people clap and cheer as he waved at them with a happy grin. Cheyanne drowned out the speech he was giving and gazed towards the Lonely Mountain, which no longer looked as promising as it had once before. Now it loomed over them, dark and foreboding of bad things to come.

"… Bring good fortune to all!" the Master finished with extra exuberance, and the music picked up. The townspeople shout in excitement and wave enthusiastically as the boat begins to move.

The dwarves all stood and waved as well, some going as far as to bow to them. Bilbo was enjoying himself, grinning and laughing. Cheyanne sat with her chin in her hand, glumly staring straight ahead. She wasn't happy to be on the journey anymore, now that they were approaching the bad parts. She'd give anything to be awake in Texas and never have to return.

But, this was the choice she had made. She had to stick with it.

The journey across the lake from Lake-town to the opposite shore seemed to take hours, though it was no more than two at most. When they finally landed, Thorin stepped off of the boat, kingly grace practically coming out of his ears. The others joined him, and they all gazed up at the mountain together. The dwarves and Bilbo all grinned, but Cheyanne could only stare at it grimly

On silent command, they all started up the path that would take them up the mountain. They walked in silence as well, not speaking unless necessary. Cheyanne stayed near the rear of the party, wanting to stay away from Erebor for as long as she could. She wasn't willing to know what the gold would do to her own mind.

After they had walked for ages, Thorin stopped and gazed around momentarily. Realization lit up on his face, and he hurried to the top of the embankment they were climbing. The others all followed, and Cheyanne was the last to reach the top. The embankment gazed out over a valley, and in the center a long ways away, was what could have only been what remained of the city of Dale.

Bilbo frowned as he gazed at it. "What is this place?" he asked.

"It was once the city of Dale," replied Balin. "Now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug."

It took a lot of Cheyanne's willpower to keep from laughing or crying. Or both at once. _Roll credits_. _Please._

"The sun will soon reach midday; let's find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets. This way!" Thorin gestured with his arm, and the dwarves started to head down the embankment towards Dale. Bilbo remained where he was.

"Wait… Is this the overlook?" he questioned, glancing at Cheyanne. She nodded, and he turned to Thorin. "Gandalf said to meet him here. On no account were we-"

"Do you see him?" Thorin queried, cutting the hobbit off. "We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We're on our own." He turned and followed the others, leaving Cheyanne with Bilbo. "Come."

Bilbo looked at Cheyanne in concern, and she shook her head, turning away. "Come on, Bilbo," she said quietly. "There's no point in arguing."

"But, isn't he coming?" Bilbo questioned, hurrying after her.

She merely shook her head again, and Bilbo gazed towards Dale, confusion and dismay written all over his face.

Cheyanne finally pulled herself up the last makeshift stair with a groan before she flopped over onto her back. "That was a long, long climb," she breathed, gazing upwards at the sky, which was beginning to turn orange as the sun started to set to the west.

"This has to be it," Thorin said. Cheyanne rolled over and up onto her knees. The dwarf was gazing at a large rock wall. "The hidden door." He turned and faced the company just as Cheyanne made her way over to them. "Let all those who doubted us rue this day!" he shouted, holding up his key in triumph.

The others cheer, and Cheyanne raised her fist in a half-assed attempt to appear happy.

"Right," Dwalin said as the cheering died away. "We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole."

He stepped up to the wall, and, with his fingers, starts to search for such a hole. Thorin went the opposite direction, and walked to the edge of the clearing they were in and stared out at the setting sun.

"The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon a keyhole," he breathed emphatically.

He turned back around and frowned when he saw Dwalin hadn't discovered anything. "Nori," he commanded, nodding to the wall.

The dwarf, who had a bit of a reputation as a thief, if Cheyanne could remember correctly, approached the wall and started to tap against it with a spoon, looking for hollow places. Dwalin went as far as to push against the wall with a grunt. The sun sank lower behind them.

"We're losing the light," Thorin said, his voice starting to give away his panic.

"Come on!" Dwalin strained against the rock again before he growled and kicked it.

"Be quiet!" Nori commanded. "I can't hear when you're thumping like that."

"I can't find it…" Dwalin said slowly, stepping backwards. "It's not here!" He shifted his gaze towards Cheyanne. "It's not here."

As some of the others began to desperately beat against the stone with their weapons, Cheyanne walked away and sat down on a rock with a sigh, absentmindedly scratching at a bug bite on her neck. The sun faded away completely just as she dropped her hand, and Thorin almost dropped his key.

"No." He stumbled forward and stared down at the map, like he could read it. "The last light of Durin's Day will shine up the keyhole." He looked up at the others, eyes wide with sadness. "That's what it says." The dwarves all groan and mutter in anger and disappointment. Thorin stared at Cheyanne, grief stricken. "What did we miss?"

She didn't respond, dropping her gaze to the ground. She glanced up only when she couldn't feel Thorin's eyes on her anymore, and watched him walk over to Balin. "What did we miss, Balin?" he repeated, voice tearful.

"We've lost the light," the older dwarf answered with a shake of his head. "There's no more to be done. We had but one chance."

"You said it would open!" Gloin shouted, glaring at Cheyanne from where he stood with the other dwarves, who all had their heads bowed in dismay.

"It will," Cheyanne told him earnestly, but she didn't try to convince them otherwise. Perhaps if they waited long enough, everything would change…

"Come away," Balin said, sighing sadly. "It's… It's over."

The dwarves all turn and started to walk back towards the stairs they had used to get up. Bilbo hurried after them, but only as far as the stairs. "Wait a minute!"

Gloin turned away from Cheyanne and shifted his gaze to the hobbit. "You wait," he muttered under his breath before following his kin.

"Where are they going?" Bilbo asked Cheyanne in desperation. "Why aren't you stopping them?" She bowed her head, and Bilbo shouted after the dwarves: "You can't give up now!"

Cheyanne heard Thorin drop his key, and the metal clacked against the stone as it fell to the ground. "Thorin," Bilbo said weakly, "you can't give up now."

Thorin walked past Cheyanne, shaking his head disappointedly at her as he did so. The king didn't look so royal now; his face was taunt with depression, and he looked like he was on the verge of crying. He disappeared down the stairs, and Cheyanne turned her attention to Bilbo.

He was pacing around in circles, deep in thought. "Stand by the gray stone…" He stood next to the wall. "… When the thrush… Knocks." He spun around, but there was no thrush in sight. "The setting sun, and the last light of Durin's Day will shine. The last… The last light…" He trailed off and looked at Cheyanne in question.

She shifted on the stone she was sitting on top of just as there's a clacking sound from nearby. Both she and Bilbo lifted their heads and saw a small brown thrush hitting a snail shell against the gray wall Bilbo was next to.

A beam of light went past Cheyanne's head and hit the wall. Bilbo followed its movement as the thrush fluttered away before he laughed and pointed happily, looking over at Cheyanne in joy. "The last light!" he exclaimed.

The light seemed to illuminate the stone from inside out, and it rested on a particular hole that seemed so obvious now that it was lit up by a beam of light. Bilbo hurried to the edge of the ledge and called out to the dwarves: "The keyhole! Come back! Come back! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn!" He chuckled and studied the ground closely.

"Where's th- Where's the key?" he asked himself, spinning around in a circle. "It- It was here, wasn't it? It was just here. I saw it… Where did it- Oh!" His foot knocked against the key, and it slid over the ground in Cheyanne's direction. She half-heartedly stopped it with her foot just before it goes off the edge and picked it up.

It's immediately taken from her by Thorin, who gave her a strange look and held the key up, studying it. The other dwarves were with him, and they grinned warmly at Bilbo, who was smiling at what he'd discovered.

Slowly, Thorin stepped up to the wall and stuck the key into the hole the moonbeam had exposed. He turned it, and with a metal clunk, inner mechanisms started to spin. Thorin reached forward with both hands and pushed against the wall. It swung inwards, revealing a dark passage that led into the tunnel. The dwarves all gape at it in shock.

"Erebor," Thorin said breathily.

"Thorin-" Balin sounded like he was about to cry. The younger dwarf rested a hand on his shoulder before stepping into the tunnel, hand caressing the wall.

"I know these walls," he murmured, half to himself and half to the others. "These walls, this stone. You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light."

"I remember," agreed Balin, stepping into the tunnel after him. The other dwarves and Bilbo all step into the passage slowly. Cheyanne remained outside the mountain, not willing to go in.

"Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk," Gloin read from an inscription on the carving she knew was above the secret door. "May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defense of this home."

"The throne of the king," Balin explained for Bilbo, who was gazing upwards in curiosity.

"And that thing above it?" Bilbo asked. "Is that-?"

"The Arkenstone," Balin finished. "And that-" he pointed upwards, "- is why you are here, Master Burglar."

Bilbo glanced at Cheyanne. She gave him a grin, but he gave her a frown in response, though it was one of grim determination. Cheyanne's smile fell, and she turned away, looking out from the ledge towards Dale in the distance, and Lake-town further beyond it.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Thorin demanded from behind her.

She didn't turn around to face him. "It was Bilbo's job to discover the truth, not mine," she responded quietly. "I wasn't about to steal the spotlight from him."

Thorin stepped up next to her, and she saw that he wasn't angry. Instead, there was a smile in his eyes. "Steal the spotlight? What in Durin's name is a spotlight?" he teased.

She gave him a half-hearted grin that she couldn't keep from happening. "The same thing that hit your keyhole a few minutes ago."

Thorin chuckled in response to this, and he gestured towards Erebor. "Are you going to see Bilbo off?" he asked her.

She flinched slightly at hearing how casually he said it, as though it was everyday business sending hobbits into mountains to find the thing that was going to ruin everything.

All the same, she forced a smile. "Of course." She slowly approached the secret entrance and stopped. She could almost _feel_ the treasure in the darkness within. It was reaching out to her, caressing her with a soft, cold touch. _Come to us_, it whispered_._ _We are here. We are waiting._

A flash of fire burned behind her eyes, and Cheyanne blinked. She swore she'd just seen Sauron in the flames. Her breathing had suddenly turned very ragged and hoarse. She staggered away from the mountain, shaking her head. "No."

"No?" Thorin gently took her shoulders so she wouldn't fall, and he gazed at her in concern. "What is the matter?"

"I-I can't. Not… No. I can't go in there." She shook her head desperately, unable to voice anything more. The whispers echoed in her mind, bidding her to come and see the treasure for herself. It sounded so warm and welcoming, and yet cold and lonely at the same time, just like fire itself.

When you have a fire, it has to burn out sometime, and it leaves nothing behind but cold remains. Ash. That's what Smaug would be leaving behind when he finally left Erebor; cold and empty gold that served no purpose, just like ash.

Cheyanne backed away from Thorin, gazing at him with wide eyes. "Don't make me go in there, Thorin," she whispered tearfully. "Please."

Thorin shook his head. "Of course I won't make you. It's your choice."

A small sense of relief went through her, but it barely lifted the heavy weight of fear that still sat inside her chest. Fire and darkness were hand in hand in this case; the fire came and went, and darkness would fall thickly over everything.

Fire and ash.

Heat and then cold.

Life, then death.

And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

_What am I here for?_

* * *

**Considering that this was a short chapter, I'll probably still upload one on Monday. But... Eh. Cheyanne, boo-boo. What's going on in your head, hon?**


	16. DoS - This Fire that Burns

**To the person that made a Legend of Zelda reference in the reviews, good on ya. To the rest of you, as well as that guy, I wanted to apologize for not uploading this yesterday. I didn't get home until very late, and I passed out as soon as I did. **

**Anyway, regularly scheduled chapter uploading will resume next week.**

**Let's finish this. **

* * *

Cheyanne paced restlessly before the door, gnawing on a thumbnail. She hadn't been able to see Bilbo off, and the fact lay uneasily on her shoulders. What if something were to change suddenly, and send Bilbo to his death? She would never speak with him again, and that would be it. She would have lost her cousin forever.

She stopped walking abruptly, shaking her head. "Not my cousin," she whispered hoarsely. "He is not my cousin."

"Cheyanne." She winced as someone rested a hand on her shoulder, turning to see who it was. Dwalin was watching her, eyebrows drawn. "Are you alright?"

"H-He's in there. By himself. With a dragon. Do you really think I'm alright, Dwalin?" she asked him, voice breaking. It wasn't until she brought her hands up to cover her face that she realized she was trembling. She clasped her hands to try and stop them from shaking so violently.

"Cheyanne, you need to relax," said Dwalin. He took her hands and rubbed them together between his comfortingly. "You know Bilbo is going to be fine. You are worrying yourself over nothing."

Cheyanne attempted to let out a breath. It came out in different clips, harsh and gravelly. She saw Thorin glance over when he heard this, and he approached, eyes clearly searching her for signs of sickness. "What is the matter with you?" he queried gently, taking her arm.

She shook her head quickly. "N-Nothing. I'm fine. I-I promise." She tried to stumble away from him, but her feet wouldn't cooperate.

"That's the worst lie you've ever told, and I know when you've told lies," Thorin told her. "Maybe you should go back to Lake-town."

"No." Cheyanne pulled her arm from his grasp. "I'm already here, and I'm not leaving until Bilbo is safely out of that mountain!"

Before Thorin could say anything in response, a tremor went through the whole mountain. Cheyanne bounced on her feet, and she turned her eyes towards the door.

"Was that an earthquake?" Dori questioned, standing up in fear.

"That, my lad," Balin began, taking a step away from the mountain, "was a dragon."

"Bilbo," Cheyanne whispered without meaning too. She started forward, but Thorin grabbed her and held her back.

"No."

"He's-"

"We knew all along the dragon was awake," Thorin said, turning her around, away from the door. "Bilbo knew, and he went down there all the same."

"He went down there because he didn't want to disappoint you!" she exclaimed, all fear forgotten. She struggled against the hold he had on her shoulders, trying to get away. "Bilbo is terrified you don't trust him."

"Why?" asked Thorin. "Haven't I made it clear that he's very important to this quest?"

"The quest, Thorin." Cheyanne sighed and bowed her head. "It's always about the quest, right? You don't think about anything else. If Bilbo were to fail at his job, you would go mad, and not with grief." She pulled against his grasp again. "I hate to think of what you might do if I'm wrong."

_Or what you'll do if I'm right._

Thorin started to say something in response, but he changed his mind and let go of her arms. Cheyanne backed away from him with a shake of her head. "You're changed, Thorin. It wasn't always about getting the Arkenstone. It used to be about winning back Erebor. Do you not care about that anymore?"

As a reply, her stepped forward and took her chin in his hand. "In order to win my back home, I need the Arkenstone," he told her firmly. "You've always known that."

Cheyanne began to shake her head, but Thorin moved his hand to the back of her neck, and she relaxed at his touch, remembering the night before, and how sweet he had been. The warmth of his hand seemed to seep right into her skin, and he gave her a small smile. "Cheyanne, I need you to trust me. You know what happens, yes? You know everything is going to be fine."

"Thorin, you don't need the Arkenstone. Smaug is not killed by the armies of dwarves. The King's Jewel gives you nothing," she blurted out, in one last vain attempt to change his mind.

She saw something change behind Thorin's eyes, and for a moment, she thought she had done it. Thorin glanced towards the secret door, frowning, before he looked back at her again.

"The King's Jewel will give me the right to rule," he said. "Without it, no one will see me as King Under the Mountain."

"A shiny rock doesn't give you the right to be a king, Thorin," she whispered quietly. "What you chose to do is what gives you the right. And at the moment…" She pulled away from him. "I don't see you as a king."

Orange light burned out of the passage, reflecting his eyes, which were locked on her intensely. Cheyanne turned sharply towards the mountain, and she choked out a gasp before running towards the door.

Dwalin was standing near it, and he grabbed her before she could sprint through. She struggled as he pulled her backwards, away from the door, and Balin stalked towards Thorin. "What about Bilbo?" the dwarf asked him.

Thorin glanced in Cheyanne's direction. She gazed at him in desperation, and Thorin turned back to Balin. "Give him more time," he decided. Cheyanne slumped against Dwalin's arms, all fight evaporating from her.

"More time to do what?" demanded Balin. Thorin stopped walking away. "To be killed?"

"You're afraid," Thorin said dryly, not turning to look at him.

Yes, I'm afraid," Balin said bravely. "I fear for you. There is a sickness on that treasure hoard, a sickness that drove your grandfather mad."

"I am not my grandfather," Thorin said under his breath.

"You're not yourself!" exclaimed Balin. "The Thorin I know would not hesitate to go in there-"

"I will not risk this quest for the life of one burglar!"

Immediately, the fight returned to her when she heard how easily Thorin had discarded Bilbo. She struggled against Dwalin's arms, rage turning her vision red, but the dwarf held fast. Clearly, he wasn't going to let her claw out Thorin's eyes.

Balin didn't get angry. Instead, he stared at Thorin in disappointment and pity. "Bilbo," he said softly. "His name is Bilbo."

Thorin didn't turn to look at him. He instead walked away from them all and went to the edge of the cliff, staring out into the night. Cheyanne continued to pull against Dwalin's grasp. He wasn't budging.

"I'm not going to go into the mountain. I promise," she swore to him.

Dwalin held onto her for a moment longer before he let her go free with a grunt. She cast a glance towards the secret entrance before she slowly stepped towards Thorin.

"Balin's right," she said quietly. "You're already thinking about the treasure. It's going to tear you apart, Thorin."

"I will not let it do to me what it did to my grandfather," responded Thorin. His voice was gruff, annoyed.

"You already are," Cheyanne said. "As soon as you decided to retrieve the Arkenstone, you were putting the treasure before the company and the quest." She gazed at his back. "That wealth is going to be the death of you."

Thorin turned around sharply and gave her a look that clearly said she'd spoke far out of turn. "I suggest you keep any further thoughts to yourself," he growled dangerously.

Cheyanne bowed her head and said no more on the matter. She was doing nothing but making him angry. She wasn't, however, about to let Bilbo die because of him. "If you won't go to help Bilbo, I will." She turned and started for the mountain, but her steps faltered as she got closer and the whispering came back. She retreated slightly with a shudder before she steeled herself and started forward again.

Someone grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her to a halt. "You will not go into the mountain." Thorin's voice was in her ear, breath hot against her skin. Without another word, the dwarf pulled his sword from its scabbard and released her before heading into the passage.

It wasn't until Balin shook his head sadly that she realized her fear for Bilbo had just brought an end to Thorin's own safety outside the mountain.

"What have I done?" she whispered to herself as the rest of the company hurried into Erebor after Thorin. She stared blankly at the passageway entrance, all thoughts evaporating. Thorin. She had just sent Thorin into Erebor. She'd just set the sickness into motion, like a sneeze started up a cold. She had fired the gun, and the race to insanity had begun.

She snapped back to attention, realizing the whole company was inside the mountain now. Thorin had told her not to go in, but she couldn't just let them stand up against Smaug without her, even though they had done it perfectly well before. Cheyanne quickly swallowed a breath and hitched up her pants in mock bravery. "I'm comin' for ya, mountain!" she shouted, putting serious emphasis into her accent.

She stormed into the passage, blocking out the voices. As soon as she was inside, the voices disappeared, stopping, and so did she in surprise. She then started to laugh at herself and how ridiculous her accent had just sounded. "Jon would kill me," she breathed, slumping forward with laughter.

She let out a breath to calm herself down and straightened up, the task at hand returning to her mind. "I have to save them!" she told herself firmly.

She crept down the passage, and the mountain shuddered again. A loose stone fell from the roof and landed on the ground in front of her, clattering down the tunnel noisily. Cheyanne paused and waited until the sound had faded away from continuing on.

She reached the end of the passage and had to stop as it opened out into a wide open space. High ceilings were way above her, and walkways dotted the whole area, most of them higher up than her, but some were parallel to the one she was standing on. Each one connected a level of doors, which probably led to bedrooms of some sort. They would have needed a lot of them. It was then that she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was going.

Just as Cheyanne was about to sigh and give the walkway she was already on a shot, she heard someone shout in the distance. She looked up in surprise, recognizing the voice. "Dwalin."

Cheyanne sprinted up a set of stairs leading to another path above her. She followed the sound of Smaug's heavy footsteps as he chased after the dwarves, whom she knew were leading the dragon to the forging room. It wasn't hard to navigate once she pinpointed the sounds of shouts and the source of the smoke drifting through Erebor towards her. She walked into the forging room just as the company rushed through the tall pillars between the furnaces and the giant pit they had dropped Smaug into.

Bilbo spotted her first, and his eyes grew. "Chey!"

"Bilbo!" she exclaimed happily.

"Enough!" Thorin hissed. He hurried past the others to her and grabbed her arm. "What did I tell you? Why are you in here?"

Before Cheyanne could respond, there was an angry roar from the nearby pit. "The plan's not going to work!" Dwalin shouted from where he had run to the furnaces. "These furnaces are stone cold."

"He's right; we have no flame hot enough to set them ablaze," agreed Balin.

Thorin glanced away from Cheyanne in the direction where the company had come from, and Cheyanne saw orange light coming up from the pit. "Have we not?" Thorin asked darkly. He released her arm and hurried towards the direction of the light. "I did not look to see you so easily outwitted!" he shouted down into the pit.

Smaug appeared, and Cheyanne stumbled backwards in shock and fear. She hadn't imagines him to be that big. "You have grown slow and fat in your dotage," Thorin taunted the dragon. Smaug snarled at the dwarf, and Thorin frowned in disgust. "Slug."

The dragon crawled fully out of the pit and started towards them. Thorin ran backwards and behind one of the pillars that was standing between them and the dragon. "Take cover! Go!" he shouted.

Cheyanne grabbed Bilbo and yanked him behind a pillar just as Smaug unleashed his flame. The fire went by the company and into the furnaces. Cheyanne's face broke into a sweat, and she clenched her teeth at the pain as some of the fire singes through her jeans and burns her leg. Groaning, she fell against Bilbo, whom she'd pressed between herself and the pillar.

"Chey," he said, holding her up, "not today."

Behind her, the furnaces _fwoosh_ up with fire and start to work. Bilbo helped her up straight again and pulled her away from the pillars as Smaug smashed his head against them in rage.

"Bombur, get those bellows going!" Thorin ordered.

"Alright!" the big dwarf agreed. He ran and jumped onto a chain beside one of the forges. The chain is yanked down by his weight, and he landed on the handle of one of the giant bellows. The flames turned blue from the air fanned into them.

Cheyanne swallowed back a curse as she glanced down at her leg to see the damage. The skin where she had been burned was black and blistering already. Not to mention how badly it hurt.

"Bilbo," Thorin said, causing her to look up again. He pointed to a lever that was built into the top of a tower-mound thing. "Up there, on my mark, pull that lever."

Bilbo glanced desperately at Cheyanne, clearly not wanting to leave her. She waved her hand. "Go, I'll follow." The hobbit scampered away towards the tower, and Cheyanne hobbled after him. Bilbo waited at the bottom of the stairs to help her up them, and they were halfway up when Smaug destroyed the pillars and rushed through. He began to walk towards them menacingly, and Cheyanne had to force herself to keep going without freezing in fear.

"Bilbo!" she said as she reached the top, and hurried over to the lever, waving her hand. "Come on!"

Bilbo rushed over to her and she boosted him up to the lever. He grabbed onto it, just as Thorin shouted, "Now!"

Bilbo yanked it downwards, and water immediately started to pour from the giant head fountains built into the wall around the tower Cheyanne and Bilbo were in. It poured all over Smaug, dousing the fire that had been burning in his throat. The dragon slid into the side of a furnace from the force of the water pushing against him. He roared in anger and flapped around, unable to do anything else because of the water. The water stopped abruptly, and Smaug stood, dripping, with a snarl.

He began to stalk towards Thorin again, and Bilbo waved his hand at Cheyanne. She struggled up to her feet and started after him down the stairs. A flash of light appeared in the corner of her eye as she did so; it was Balin with his flash flame, chucking jars of the stuff at the dragon. Smaug was unfazed by this, and he continued forward without even flinching. Just as he was about to reach Thorin, a ton of rocks fell on top of the dragon from a mine-cart that someone had cut the cable off of. Smaug fell to the ground with a roar.

Cheyanne watched Thorin sprint over to a furnace and yank a chain. Molten gold poured from the door in the side that slid open and into troughs that are built into the floor. "Lead him to the Gallery of the Kings!" he shouted, turning and running away from the furnaces.

"The what?" Bilbo exclaimed from beside Cheyanne. A bucket flew towards them both, and Cheyanne pulled Bilbo down in a crouch. It sailed over their heads and crashed into the wall behind them, sending stone in a many different directions.

Cheyanne clambered back to a standing position, and, holding her burned thigh, led Bilbo towards the others. Thorin rode past them in a wheelbarrow down a stream of gold in a trough. Smaug whipped his head and tail, still stuck in the conveyor belt of rocks that had been dumped onto him. He managed to rid himself of it and roared.

He spotted Cheyanne and Bilbo, and snarled. "Keep going!" Thorin shouted at them as he went through the entrance of the forge room. "Run!"

Bilbo glanced around in worry, and Cheyanne shoved him forward. "Chey, no!" the hobbit cried. Smaug charged right at him.

"Go!" Cheyanne screamed, hopping away into the shadows.

Bilbo turned tail and sprinted out of the forge. Smaug passed right by the place Cheyanne was hiding, running after the hobbit. The dwarves had disappeared as well. Cheyanne stumbled out of the shadows and hurried in the direction Bilbo had gone, stopping and glancing down a side hall as she came out of the forge.

As a last minute decision, she turned and headed down the hall instead, praying it would take her to the Gallery of the Kings, and get her there before Smaug and Bilbo.

(*)

She halted as soon as she ran out of a long hallway into a great hall. Stopping in the middle, she gazed around at all the tapestries hanging up, each decorated with something commemorating a King Under the Mountain. By some miraculous turn of events, she had managed to reach the Gallery of the Kings before Bilbo and the dragon.

Almost as though her thoughts had summoned him, Bilbo sprinted through a tall archway at one end of the hall, slipping and skidding along the smooth floor. He drew himself up short as soon as he entered, panting.

"Bilbo," Cheyanne said. Her voice reverberated off of the walls of the empty hall, and Bilbo looked up in surprise. He started to move towards her, but the ground shook as Smaug neared the room. Cheyanne quickly ran out of the center of the hall towards the passage she'd come out of.

She ducked around the corner just as Smaug thundered his way into the Gallery. Cheyanne closed her eyes tightly and pressed her back against the left wall of the passage, praying Bilbo had managed to hide. Smaug's footsteps set an earthquake through the ground as he walked down the hall, and Cheyanne released a breath of relief.

The evil, gravelly voice of Benedict Cumberbatch seemed to shake the hall as a whole. "You think you could deceive me, Barrel-rider?" he asked, speaking to Bilbo. Cheyanne pressed herself further back against the wall as the dragon moved closer to her hiding spot. "You have come from Lake-town. There is some sort of scheme hatched between these filthy dwarves and those miserable cup-trading Lakemen. Those sniveling cowards with their longbows and black arrows."

Cheyanne heard his voice break as he mentioned the black arrows. He stopped moving just outside of the hall she was in. "Perhaps it is time I paid them a visit," he mused, and Cheyanne shuddered internally.

"No," she decided in a whisper. She stepped out of the hallway right in front of the dragon, planting her feet. "You are not going to go to Lake-town!" she told Smaug. She was trying to sound firm, but her voice was shaking as she gazed upon the dragon fully.

"Who are you to tell me no?" Smaug questioned, looking down at her, more curious than angry.

"Someone that you don't want to burn with fire?" Cheyanne attempted. The dragon's throat burned orange, and she quickly said, "If you do, you won't know what I can tell you."

She glanced upwards and saw the light disappear from the dragon's neck. Smaug tilted his big head in question, and Cheyanne said, "If you go to Lake-town, you will be killed."

Immediately, Smaug let out a laugh. "Do you expect me to believe you, human?" he asked, leering down far enough to stick his snout in her face. Cheyanne gazed bravely into the dragon's eyes, flinching when she met his stare. "You lie to your friends about who you are, why would you not lie to me?"

Cheyanne frowned. "How do you know about that?" she demanded.

Smaug ignored the question. "What would you do if the lie you coated yourself in was stripped away, burned right off of you like the flesh from your bones?" He grinned toothily when she didn't respond, and rose back up to his full height. "I would suggest you discover why you are here, human," he told her, shaking out his wings, preparing for flight. "You don't have much time."

He started to walk away down the hall to the archway at the opposite end, which would lead him out into Erebor and towards the main doors. Cheyanne stood dumbly in place as the dragon strolled right past her. How had he known there was a reason for her being there?

"Wait-"

"Here!" Thorin's shout cut her off, his voice booming around the Gallery of the Kings. Smaug stopped and slowly turned around, a snarl growing on his lips.

Bilbo skirted around the dragon as he stalked back towards where Thorin was standing on a stone statue, and he tackled Cheyanne into the hall she'd been hiding in. They landed on the ground, and Cheyanne winced at the pain in her leg as the hobbit shook her. "What were you doing?' he demanded, glaring at her angrily. "You could have been killed!"

Cheyanne blinked. Bilbo had basically repeated the very thing Thorin had said to him on the Carrock. "I thought that… Maybe I could stop him," she whispered, closing her eyes and pushing the hobbit off of her. She crawled to the wall and stood up before looking down at him, more important matters in mind. "Bilbo, listen to me. I need you to keep-"

"I am King Under the Mountain!" Smaug's voice rattled around inside her brain, and she wobbled slightly. The shout was still echoing around the hall when Thorin met it with a shout of his own.

"This is not your kingdom!" he yelled. "These are dwarf lands, this is dwarf gold." Cheyanne poked her head out from around the wall and saw the dwarf grab the chain hanging next to him. "And we will have our revenge!"

She ducked back as he shouted a commanded in Khuzdul just as Smaug's throat began to turn orange. Cheyanne leaned out again. The giant golden dwarf that had been hidden by the stone mold gleamed despite the shadows of the Gallery. It seemed to have an inner glow.

Cheyanne almost stepped out of the passage in awe, but Bilbo grabbed the end of her shirt and pulled her to a halt. "No, Cheyanne!" he hissed to her.

She snapped back to focus and looked from the statue to Smaug. The dragon stepped closer to the statue, his greed almost like tangible pulses in the air. There's a momentary pause as dragon stared into the eyes of dwarf before the gold of the statue's eye explodes. It poured molten out over the hall, and Smaug.

The dragon roared in rage and pain as the force of the gold pushed him further into the hall. Cheyanne turned and shoved Bilbo down the passage as the gold goes past the archway. Smaug fell from the burn of the gold on his scales and roared loudly in desperation when he cannot stand back up.

The gold washed over him completely, covering him like a blanket, and then lay still.

Cheyanne studied it for a moment, and then shook her head. "Fire cannot kill a dragon," she whispered quietly before giving herself a kick in the behind with her good leg.

Smaug burst up through the gold with a roar. He shook out his wings briefly, screeching. "Revenge? Revenge?! I will show you revenge!"

He ran down the hall before spreading out his wings and taking flight. Cheyanne and Bilbo exchange a look before they turned and hurried down the passage they were in. "He's going to the doors!" she told the hobbit as they run, or rather, he ran and she hobbled.

The two of them raced through Erebor towards the main doors just as Smaug flew from another hall, wings spread out to their full length. He flew past them both, ignoring them entirely. Cheyanne knew it was pointless now. She held out her arm and halted Bilbo.

Smaug flew through the doors of Erebor with a crash. Rubble fell to the floor, shattering on impact to smaller pieces. Once the dragon was out of the mountain, Cheyanne allowed Bilbo to continue running. Cheyanne didn't follow immediately. She lifted her head and let out a breath of shock. The main hall of Erebor was giant. Three layers of pathways lining the walls were above the main level she was on, and there were more below her. To her left was an archway leading up to a set up stairs that most likely led to the throne hall.

She couldn't believe it. Erebor was spectacular.

She shook her head and hurried towards the doors to her left, pushing her way through the wreckage and outside. Bilbo had crawled up onto the top of a fallen boulder. Cheyanne raised her eyes to the sky and watched Smaug twirl through the air, ridding himself of gold on his scales. It rained down towards Cheyanne and Bilbo, and Cheyanne covered her eyes with her arm for a moment to keep them safe of hot gold droplets.

She uncovered her eyes and saw Smaug was flying away in the direction of Lake-town. It was sitting innocently on the Long Lake in the distance, unknowing at the moment to the destruction that was flying towards them. Not for long, though.

_But all will fail in sadness, and the lake will shine and burn,_ Cheyanne though to herself bitterly.

She could almost hear Smaug's final lines of the movie as she watched him fly away, and they seemed to come back to her from the distance. "I am fire. I am… _Death_."

Bilbo gaped up at the dragon, unmoving. He looked terrified and his eyes widdened in despair. "What have we done?" he whispered to himself, though Cheyanne shook her head in response.

She gazed up at the dark mass of dragon that was flying through the air. He had known she was human. He had known she was there for a reason. What reason?

And who else knew?

* * *

**Hmm, who else knows, I wonder. **

**Well, guess we'll find out in _The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (Maybe I Won't Go Back Again)._**

**See you guys next week. **


	17. BOTFA - Cheyanne Sees Fire

**Hey look. Final part, final chapter, final... Movie. Sure. I guess. Let's see how this goes, cats. **

**Time to finish this. **

**Also, I suppose I should say that if you have not seen Battle of the Five Armies yet, nor have you read the book or payed attention too all the spoilers that have already been in the Fiction, this part is going to be a lot of spoilers. **

**So many spoilers.**

**All of 'em.**

**Let's get back into it.**

* * *

**_The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (Maybe I Won't Go Back Again: Part 3)_**

* * *

**Previously on _Maybe I Won't Go Back Again_:**

**Cheyanne has worked her way through spiders, elves, some orcs, Lakemen, and has finally reached Erebor with the company of Thorin Oakenshield. That should have been it, right? She'd made it to the mountain; it was time for her to go back to Texas and hopefully hold onto whatever sanity remained, yes?**

**Nope.**

**She's still in Middle-Earth, and has just witnessed Smaug fly out of Erebor and towards Lake-town, hungry for revenge. If only Thorin's own plan for revenge had actually worked out. Fucking two-year-old. Didn't he know dragons are impervious to hot stuff?**

**Oh, right. At it seems like Smaug knew something about what Cheyanne is doing in Middle-Earth in the first place. Kind of wonky, isn't it? How did he know, other than by the fact that she smells like a human? He didn't know she had lied about being a hobbit.**

**Or did he?**

**The time for battle is drawing near. Is Cheyanne going to be able to do whatever she has too before it arrives, or will she succumb to the affect Middle-Earth is beginning to have on her mind?**

* * *

Everyone's gotten that feeling where their heart stops working and they suddenly feel like they're about to vomit, right? Usually, it's before giving a presentation or performing on a stage. Perhaps it's before a date or when something scary happens to them.

Well, in Cheyanne's case, the cause of her nausea was the giant dragon that had just flown out of a mountain and was heading out to destroy a small city filled with innocent people.

A bit of a bigger deal than a presentation or a date.

Her eyes had tunnel-visioned onto Smaug, who seemed to be getting eight miles closer to Lake-town every moment. All she could hear was a small buzzing noise in her left ear, like an annoying fly that wouldn't leave her alone. She couldn't look away, and all she could think about was how the dragon had known something about how she was dreaming everything.

What had he known, and how had he known at all? This was just… Ridiculous. It wasn't like this whole situation wasn't already ridiculous, but knowing that _Smaug_ had known out of everybody was incomprehensible to her. Especially when she didn't really know anything herself.

It was too late to learn anything from the dragon, however. He was gone, on his way to destroy a town that had invited dwarves, his mortal enemy, into the mountain he'd claimed as his own, and Cheyanne was left standing outside of Erebor, the destroyed doors behind her, watching it all happen with a look of horror on her face.

What a couple of weeks it had been.

"Cheyanne!" Something finally broke through the dull buzz in her ear, and she turned to see Thorin and the other dwarves hurrying through the rubble of the doors towards her and Bilbo, who was still crouched on the top of the rock he'd climbed onto moments before.

Thorin reached her first, and he took Cheyanne's face in his hands. "_Ê 'ibin_! Are you hurt?" he asked her, his voice gentle.

Cheyanne had no idea what he had just called her, but she was too shaken to care. Her head was pounding, and her leg was throbbing where she had been burnt, but she shook her head in answer to his question all the same. Thorin let out a sigh of relief and tilted her head forward. Cheyanne felt him press his lips to her hair in relief. "Never do something like that again," he whispered to her, voice tight.

Cheyanne was already confused, not only by the words he had called her in Khuzdul, but also by his affection. Now she was even more confused because she had no idea what he was talking about. "What?" she questioned, furrowing her brow.

Thorin shifted, and raised her head. "I saw you step right in front of Smaug and speak with him," he told her. He shook his own at her. "You're not the most imposing creature, _'ibin_. There was no way you could have talked down that dragon."

"I appreciate the nickname, whatever it is, but I would like to know what it means before it sticks," Cheyanne said after looking at him for a long moment.

Thorin smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. She gave him a weak grin, unable to do anything more. She didn't want to get more attached than she already was, especially now.

Thankfully, Bilbo saved her. "I love Thoranne as much as the next company member, but did we forget Smaug just flew out of Erebor and is about to wreak havoc on Lake-town?" the hobbit queried, sliding down off of the boulder and pointing.

Cheyanne had to force herself to pull away from Thorin, who made sure his fingers grazed her hand even as she did so. "Come on," she said to the others. "I know a place where we'll be able to see everything."

She led the company away from the Lonely Mountain and up a small hill just outside the doors. The top of the hill was flattened and lined with stones, like it had served as a meeting place or a viewing area a long time ago. From there, she pointed. Lake-town was in the distance, shining bright with light on the darkness of the Long Lake. Bilbo stepped up beside her and sucked in a breath.

"Smaug."

Cheyanne glanced upwards towards the sky and saw the dragon flying towards the town. He was very close now. Time shifted into slow motion, and in her mind's eye, she could see Lake-town as they saw Smaug flying for them. People hurried for boats, carrying valuables in their arms. They were terrified, the whole town bursting at the seams with fear as the menace came closer and closer.

She blinked and came back to the top of the hill. There was a beat, and then another.

And then the town on the lake knew nothing but fire. Smaug had found his revenge.

Cheyanne turned away from the burning town in the distance, walking away from the wall of stones. The dwarves swarmed in beside Bilbo to watch. They did so in silence for a long moment, and then she heard Ori murmur, "What about the others?"

"They're going to be fine," Cheyanne told him. She sensed the dwarves all turn to look and her, and she rotated to face them. "They'll be here in two days, at the very least."

Hearing this, a visible weight seemed to lift off of the company's shoulders. Thorin let out a breath, his own shoulders relaxing. He gave Cheyanne a grateful look before he turned and walked down the hill aways to a different outcropping. The other dwarves moved away from the wall, worries receding.

Bilbo remained where he was. "Bard and his family? What of them?" he asked Cheyanne, still watching the town.

"They'll be alright, too," she told him, "but it doesn't matter, does it? Their home is gone."

"Smaug doesn't just… Up and disappear, does he?" Gloin asked. He turned to look at Cheyanne, along with the other dwarves. "How does the dragon die?"

"Did I win the beat?" Nori asked, starting to grin. "I placed mine on Kili."

Cheyanne shook her head. "No one from the company brings down the dragon," she said quietly. "Bard kills Smaug with a black arrow, the thing his ancestor Girion couldn't do. It earns him the leadership of the surviving Lakemen."

"That means I won," Dwalin said after a moment of silence. "I said it was going to be someone outside of the company."

"You did not!" exclaimed Ori. "You placed it on Gandalf! I have it written down somewhere!"

"No I did not!" Dwalin retorted angrily.

"Ya did!" Gloin cried. "I heard ya say it!"

The dwarves started to argue. Cheyanne saw Bilbo's shoulders tense, and he turned around, eyes flashing with rage. "Stop it!" he shouted, voice rising above the clamoring of the dwarves. They all fell silent, and Bilbo glared at each of them in turn. "Who are you all?" he demanded. "Lake-town is getting destroyed by a dragon we released. We should be down there helping them."

"We won't though," Cheyanne said quietly. No one heard her.

Bilbo continued to gaze at the dwarves with narrowed eyes. "Don't try to tell me there's nothing to be done."

"It's over, Bilbo," Cheyanne said, speaking louder this time. The hobbit looked past the dwarves to her, and she shrugged. "Lake-town is lost." She turned away and glanced towards Erebor in the distance. "It was lost as soon as we found the hidden door."

She then turned her gaze back to Lake-town, which was burning brightly and dangerously. The company sat in prickly silence for a very long time, each of them wanting to say something, but no one actually willing to speak.

Finally, however, Bilbo must have grown uncomfortable. "Can someone please do something to kill the silence?" he asked softly.

"You just killed it," muttered Dwalin in response. The dwarf was grumpy he had lost the bet. Cheyanne could see all of the dwarves were.

"I'm being serious," sad Bilbo as he glared at Dwalin. He glanced around at the others. "Please?"

No one spoke. Bilbo sat down on a rock with a sad sigh, and Cheyanne glanced down at the ground. She had something to end the silence, and it was rather fitting for the current situation they had found themselves in. She decided that it was better than nothing, so she began to sing:

_"Oh, misty eye of the mountain below._

_Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls._

_And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke_

_Keep watching over Durin's sons."_

The dwarves and Bilbo all looked up in surprise when they heard her voice. They exchanged looks as Cheyanne sat down on a rock, being careful on her bad leg.

"_If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together._

_Watch the flames climb high into the night._

_Calling out father oh, standby and we will_

_Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain si-i-ide."_

She glanced down the hill at Thorin as she sang. The dwarf glanced up at her, and his eyes softened. The others had gathered around her in a lazy arc, and were watching her with faces full of mixed emotions.

_"If we should die tonight then we should all die together._

_Raise a glass of wine for the last time._

_Calling out father oh, hold fast as we will_

_Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side._

_Desolation comes upon the sky."_

She turned away from Thorin and gazed past the dwarves and Bilbo towards Lake-town.

_"I see fire, inside the mountain._

_I see fire, burning the trees._

_I see fire, hollowing souls._

_I see fire, blood in the breeze._

_And I hope that you remember me."_

Cheyanne let out a breath and lifted her gaze to the sky.

_"And should my people fall then_

_Surely I will do the same_

_Confined in mountain halls we_

_Got to close to the flame._

_Calling out father oh, prepare as we will_

_Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side_

_Desolation comes upon the sky."_

She could see that the dwarves were seeing all the connections the song was making with what had just occurred, and the changes on their faces because of it. The all looked down at the ground, and some looked towards Lake-town, frowning.

_"I see fire, inside the mountain._

_I see fire, burning the trees._

_I see fire, hollowing souls._

_I see fire, blood in the breeze._

_And I hope that you remember me."_

Her voice cracked slightly, but she carried on all the same. She had to finish the song for them.

_"And if the night is burning I will cover my eyes_

_For if the dark returns then my brothers will die._

_And as the sky was falling down_

_It crashed into this lonely town_

_And with that shadow upon the ground_

_I hear my people screaming out._

_Now I see fire, inside the mountains._

_I see fire, burning the trees._

_I see fire, hollowing souls._

_I see fire, blood in the breeze._

_I see fire, oh you know I saw a city burning out._

_I see fire, feel the heat upon my skin._

_I see fire, ooh hoo hoo hoo-oo._

_I see fire burn auburn on the mountainside."_

She stopped singing, her voice slipping away into the night on the cold breeze. Cheyanne grinned to herself and looked around at the company.

"That was a good song, lass," Dwalin said once the shock had drifted off of his face.

"Yes it was," Balin agreed. Others added to the dwarf's words, praising her for her singing. She looked at Bilbo.

"Are you alright now?" she questioned.

Bilbo bowed his head. "Yes, thank you, Chey."

"Miss Baggins." Thorin called to her from his outcropping. "May I speak with you?"

She gave the others another smile before she stood and hobbled down the mountain towards him. Thorin frowned when he saw she was limping, and he immediately bent down to inspect her leg when she reached him. "Thorin, I'm fine," she insisted.

"It doesn't look fine," Thorin mumbled in response. "You should get someone to wrap it for you." He straightened back up and met her gaze. "I appreciate you doing that for them."

"It wasn't exactly spirit-lifting," she joked.

"I know, but it was very…" Thorin trailed off for a moment and glanced towards his company. "They needed to hear it."

Cheyanne dipped her head in understanding, and reached into her pocket. She felt the crystal deep in there, and she pulled it out to look at it. Thorin's eyes brightened when she took it out. "Perhaps I should call you _beleb_ instead," he said, reaching out and taking it from her.

"What does that mean?" she queried.

Thorin raised this crystal and gazed at her through it. "Crystal," he told her. "_'Ibin_ means jewel."

Cheyanne swallowed nervously. "And… _Ê_?" The dwarfish language was hard on her throat.

Thorin smiled. "My."

"So, before you called me "my jewel"? Thorin…"

"Hush," he insisted, stepping closer. He was only two inches away from her, and he held up the crystal between them just as she leaned up on her toes, straining her bad leg. "Which do you prefer?" he queried softly.

"Well," Cheyanne began, taking the crystal from him and falling back onto her heels, "_'ibin_ is prettier… But _beleb_ makes more sense, so I'm torn."

Thorin brushed a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. Cheyanne closed her eyes briefly as his hand rested against her cheek when he was done. She opened them again and met his. "A crystal and a jewel can be considered the same thing," she whispered.

"No they can't," Thorin told her. "They have a different luster."

Cheyanne let out a hoarse chuckle. "Of course."

Thorin laughed as well and winked. "We will figure it out later."

Cheyanne gave him a nod. "I'll think about it until then," she said.

Thorin brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Cheyanne-"

There was a gasp of surprise from up on the higher part of the hill, and Cheyanne looked away from Thorin in surprise. "What was that?" she called to the others.

Bilbo appeared at the edge and looked down at her. "The dragon," he said, "I saw him fall." He turned around and faced the company, but Cheyanne was well aware what that had meant. "Smaug is dead."

"Chey."

Cheyanne awoke with a start, sitting straight up in surprise. Jon was standing next to her bed, his eyes wide. "Jesus," he exclaimed hoarsely. "I thought you were dead."

Cheyanne swallowed thickly. It felt like her throat was full of ash. She scrambled towards him and threw her arms around his neck, ignoring all other aches and pains that came with the quick movements. "Oh, Jon," she sobbed, beginning to cry.

Jon seated himself on her bed and lowered her head onto his lap. She covered her face and sobbed while he stroked her hair and murmured soothing things to her.

"It's alright, Chey. You're home now. It's over."

_It's over. But it's not_.

Thoughts flew around Cheyanne's head in a tornado as she cried. Thoughts about the company and the wealth of Erebor and of Smaug. Thoughts about Bilbo and Gandalf and… And Thorin.

She also thought about Texas. About Jon and Gary and her parents. She thought about how happy she was to be out of Middle-Earth, but how much she wanted to be back there already to be with the company again, to be there when Fili and Kili and Oin and Bofur arrived at Erebor.

She thought about how terrible she felt about leaving the company right before the time they would need her the most.

Cheyanne knew now that she had been having the dreams for a reason, thanks to Smaug. Unfortunately, she had little to no idea what the reason was. She'd done nothing to change the story, except save Kili from an arrow straight through the leg. It hadn't changed anything about the illness he received from it.

What was she supposed to be doing, then, if her knowledge of the story couldn't change anything? She knew, however, that there was _something_ she had to do in Middle-Earth before the battle.

Well, at the moment, she didn't really feel like trying to figure out what it was. What she wanted to do was suck in as much reality as she could before she returned to Middle-Earth and probably lost it for good.

There were no more tears left to fall from her eyes, and she sniffled a few times. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand as Jon leaned over her and grabbed the box of tissues sitting on the bedside table. He handed one to her, and she sat up to blow her nose. She sniffed a few more times when she was finished, and glanced sideways at him, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she sighed in apology.

"Don't be," Jon answered, giving her a look. "You have every right to cry like that. And besides, I'm your friend. I'm here for you, Chey, whenever you need me."

She smiled weakly. "Thanks. I'm glad you haven't completely lost faith in me." She let out a breath, trying to prepare herself for what she was going to tell him next.

Before she could speak, however, she saw Jon's eyes change when he looked at her straight on. They went from amused and sympathetic to accusing and grave. "You're going back." It wasn't a question, and it was said so bluntly that Cheyanne felt it wham into her stomach like a dodgeball.

She winced. "I have too."

Jon stood up with a shake of his head and began to pace in aggravation. Cheyanne stood as well and grabbed his arm to stop him. "Jon, please. Listen to me, at least."

"Why should I?" he demanded, voice cracking. His eyes blazed with blue fire as he glared at her. "Everything you've been saying to me for the past two weeks has been nothing but ridiculous and unbelievable."

"Why do I have the dreams, Jon?" she asked him quietly.

"What?" His voice was still harsh, but something in his eyes changed, the fire dimming.

Cheyanne looked down at the floor. "Why do I keep having these dreams if I'm not supposed to do something while I'm having them?"

"You don't owe them anything, Cheyanne," Jon told her. "They aren't real."

"If you were there with me, you wouldn't be saying that."

Jon shook his head again cynically. "I used to say your obsession was going to kill you. I might have been joking then, but now…" He pulled his arm from her grasp and gestured to her up and down. "Look at yourself!"

Cheyanne did as he told her too. Her jeans were singed, and the skin that was exposed on her left leg was cracked and blistering. The knee on her right was ripped. One of her sleeves was torn, and she was covered in dirt. She lifted her hand and saw that she could see her veins through her skin.

There was clearly something wrong with her.

She raised her eyes back to Jon's and saw his face had turned from anger to pity. "I-I can't see you like this, Chey," he said softly. "You look _sick_."

"And I'm going to guess you don't mean the cool kind of sick, either, do you?" she asked wanly. Jon didn't laugh, and she slumped her shoulders. "Jon, I have to finish this. I don't think I have a choice."

"Chey, if you go back again, you might not be able to wake up," Jon warned. "You… You look like you're about to drop and die. I'm not kidding."

Cheyanne could only imagine what her faced looked like after seeing the rest of herself. She silently went into the bathroom and hit the light switch. She flinched immediately when she saw her reflection in the mirror. There were dark circles around her eyes, and her cheekbones stood out very sharp under her skin. She was paler than a ghost. Her hair had lost all its bounce and hung limply down to her shoulders, dry and brittle and dirty.

She had to look away in disgust, and she hobbled from the bathroom. What remained of Cheyanne Phillips looked like little more than a corpse. Jon stared at her in silence for a long moment. "Do you see what it's doing to you?" he asked her at last.

"I do," she agreed. "But… There's a reason. I refuse to believe that I'm being dropped into the middle of the journey just because I'm obsessed." Her eyes went wide. "Gary. He knows, Jon! He has to know!"

She hurried from her bedroom. "Cheyanne!" Jon went after her as she limped to the front door of her apartment, forgetting all about how she looked. She paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. "What if he doesn't?"

"He does," Cheyanne answered with a determination she wasn't sure she had. She turned back to the door and allowed herself to look down at the floor. "He has too," she whispered. "He has too."

* * *

**I hope you all have a swell fucking day, cats. **

**Y'know what? Have a swell fucking life. **

**I'm excited for this. **

**Also, _I See Fire_? Fucking wonderful song. **


	18. BOTFA - Cheyanne and Bilbo Baggins

**Hey guys, how's it going? **

**In this chapter, we're going to find out just what the hell is going on with Cheyanne and her "dreams". It's about damn time, Gary. **

* * *

Cheyanne hurried down the street towards Dreamer's, ignoring the looks she received from people she passed. All she could think about was how Gary had tapped his temple before she'd gone back to Middle-Earth after awakening the first time from her deeper sleep. He_ knew_ something, just like Smaug had, and this time, she wasn't going to let the information quite literally fly from her grasp.

She pushed her way into Dreamer's, exhilarated by determination. And yet, when she saw Gary, she stopped dread in her tracks, her eyes opening wide.

Gary was sitting at the counter, like usual, but he didn't look like the Gary he had been a week earlier. His hair was limp and plastered to his forehead, his eyes dull and clouded. He looked weak, weaker than her even, and she was reminded of someone, but she couldn't put her finger on who.

She stood blankly and stared at him until Gary noticed her, and he lifted his head slowly, blinking. "Cheyanne," he coughed, a grin appearing on his lips. "Glad to see you've woken without issue."

"Gary, what's happened to you?" she asked him, stepping closer to the counter in worry.

The old man let out a hoarse chuckle. "Darkness and age are catching up to me, I suppose. The typical death of an old man."

_Darkness and age?_ "You're talking like-" Cheyanne cut off as Gary changed before her eyes into a different old man, one she hadn't seen for almost as long as she hadn't seen the one sitting at the counter. She squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment and then opened them again. Gary was back. "Gandalf."

Gary's grin grew wider, and Cheyanne retreated backwards a step in shock. "You- What?"

"My old friend thought it would be funny to create a character after me," said Gary with a weak shake of his head. "Turns out me and him, we were connected through more than words."

"You knew Tolkien?" Cheyanne questioned in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"I didn't just know John," Gary answered, attempting to stand and falling short of a straight position. He landed back down on the stool heavily. "He and I were best friends."

Cheyanne wasn't sure how well she was taking this. Her mind had poofed out, the lightbulb flickering weakly within her skull. "Y-You knew Tolkien," she repeated with a shake of her head. "How old are you, G?"

Gary chuckled again. "No older than I appear to be, Cheyanne," he told her, holding out one arm to display how fragile and thin he was. "And it seems it's finally catching up to me."

Cheyanne stared at him. The memory of Gandalf's position in the story came back to her, and she blurted, "Gary! Gandalf is in Dol Guldor right now!" She furrowed her brows and met his eyes. "Are you… Are you feeling the darkness of the Necromancer's castle, just like he is?"

"That is very likely, isn't it?" Gary queried with another laugh. "If I had known how much I'd be dealing with my showing you who you are, I think I would have considered this a bit more."

"Showing me who I am?" Cheyanne gaped at him. "What are you talking about? I want the truth; don't you dare leave anything out."

Gary shook his head, eyes glimmering behind the clouds in them. "You're more brazen than your cousin ever was, that's for sure," he sighed. Cheyanne's breathing hitched at his words, and Gary smiled at her. She never noticed how closely he resembled Gandalf, or rather, how closely Ian McKellen resembled him. "I would have thought you'd figured that out by now, at least. You look too much alike to be anything but relatives."

"But… That's not Bilbo!" Cheyanne exclaimed. "That's Martin Freeman. He also plays John Watson in _Sherlock_. He isn't just Bilbo Baggins."

"He was fashioned for the role," Gary explained calmly. "Just as Ian McKellen was fashioned to be Gandalf. The characters in the movies are the characters in the books. The makeup artists saw to that."

Cheyanne shook her head. "So… Jon was right all along," she muttered under her breath in annoyance. "Damn it."

"I hadn't wanted to do this to you before, Cheyanne," Gary told her. "You must believe that. You see, your parents left me to watch out for you, since they doubted your mother's sister could do it. She did well enough, of course, but she knew nothing of who you were inside, and what you were meant to do."

"What _am_ I supposed to do?" Cheyanne asked him desperately. "Please. I want to know so I can be done with this."

"Cheyanne, you will never be done with this," Gary said to her gently after a moment. "Middle-Earth is where you belong."

A stone dropped heavily into Cheyanne's stomach. She felt like she was about to vomit. "W-What?"

Gary bowed his head and let out a breath. "I will do my best to tell you the whole story, for your sake as well as mine."

He lifted his head again and gestured to the floor with one hand. "You may want to sit, my girl. This could knock you over in a dead faint if you don't."

Cheyanne obliged, sinking down onto the carpeted floor with her back pressed to one of the bookshelves. Before Gary could begin, the door opened with a tingle of the bell above it, and Jon stepped into the shop. Gary eyed him for a moment and then sighed before waving his hand.

Jon closed the door and flipped the sign around. He then sat down on the floor beside Cheyanne. They both gazed up at Gary, and the old man let out a breath from where he sat above them on his stool behind the counter.

After a moment, he began:

"When John first approached me with the idea for his first book, I called him insane. He was persistent, however, and I begrudgingly agreed to let him at the very least put a character in there fashioned after me. We were very, very close, he and I, although I was older than him. Perhaps he enjoyed my wisdom about the world."

"Wait, John as in… John Tolkien?" Jon asked, his eyes huge. "You aren't serious, G."

"I am, Mister Davenport," Gary responded with a dip of his head. "I know there is no way to prove it, but… Well… You were never the most willing to believe, either."

He turned away from Jon and looked at Cheyanne. "Originally, there was not only one hobbit, but two. A male and a female, both of the same family, one more eager than the other to go on a journey with a company of dwarves and an old wizard."

"Bilbo and Cheyanne Baggins," Cheyanne said quietly.

Gary nodded, showing she was correct. "After much deliberation, however, John decided that only one hobbit would serve, would make for a more interesting tale. He felt that two hobbits, realizing their own things about themselves, would be cliché, like two siblings learning they were destined for greatness. After all, he couldn't give a Ring to both.

"My friend Tolkien confessed to me one day that the she-hobbit he'd written from the book left a lingering sense of doubt in his mind. He felt that there was no possible way for others to come to reconciliation with themselves without her there. One specific character he mentioned comes to mind."

Gary met her gaze steadily, and Cheyanne swallowed, unsure who he was speaking of. There were a number of characters it could be.

Gary waited for her to say something for a moment. When she didn't, he went on: "After a long discussion over what he was to do with these characters, he decided that there was no possibility of changing them further after they had come to terms with themselves. What's a character in a great novel to do when he's reached maximum development?"

"In the greatest books, they die," Jon submitted with a sigh.

"Exactly," answered Gary. "And thus began the tradition of killing a hero whom could no longer be developed."

"Thorin," Cheyanne breathed out, finally realizing. "Tolkien killed off Thorin because he'd gone from insane to a king worth fighting for. His character was developed as far as it would go, and Tolkien wanted an ending." She bowed her head, remembering how hard she'd cried the first time she'd read _The Hobbit._ "He certainly delivered."

Gary nodded slowly. "John knew that his tales of Middle-Earth were far from over. He needed to connect the last book to the next. The Fellowship visits abandoned Erebor on their own journey to Mordor; why did the mountain kingdom fall back into desolation? Because there was no King Under the Mountain quite like Thorin would have been."

"I just- I don't understand what this has to do with me," Cheyanne managed. "I… How am I supposed to help Thorin develop further as a character when he makes a giant leap on his own?"

Gary studied her with a steady gaze. "What do you think, Cheyanne?"

Cheyanne looked down at the floor, eyebrows knitting together. Tolkien had put her in the story for a reason, and she was supposed to fulfil that purpose in the dreams she guessed Gary had been putting her into. She was supposed to complete the original purpose she had been written for, the purpose given to a female in almost any classic story.

She lifted her head and met Gary's eyes, which were still trained on her. "I'm supposed to give Thorin a reason to live," she murmured. "He submits so easily to Azog's blade just to see the Orc dead, but if I'm there… He has something else to fight for, besides his mountain."

"What?" Jon demanded. "You mean… You're the love interest? You've got to be kidding me!" He threw his hands into the air as he stood, beginning to pace in the same aggravated manner as before. "All this time, it could have been something cool, like you _are_ Bilbo or something, but no! You're just the girl the king has to live for!" He stopped and cupped one hand over his mouth. "You hear that Thoranne shippers? It's a thing! It's actually a thing! John Tolkien was a Thoranne shipper!"

Cheyanne tugged on Jon's elbow from where she was seated, a blush creep into her cheeks. "Stop it," she mumbled under her breath.

"Does Thorin need to live for Cheyanne, or does Cheyanne need to live for the king?" Gary asked quietly, almost to himself. Jon immediately turned in his direction, and Cheyanne slowly stood. Gary glanced at them both with a half-smile. "Did you ever think the reason Thorin didn't live was because there was no one to save him?"

"What?" Cheyanne asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I'm not supposed to just be there for him to fight for; I literally have to save him from Azog. The Azog. The giant Orc with a sword for a hand and a boulder on a chain he swings around like a flail? You can't be serious, G."

Gary merely gazed at her. "What do you have that no one else does, Cheyanne?" he asked her. "What do you possess that no one else in Middle-Earth ever could?"

Cheyanne looked down at the floor to think. "She knows what's going to happen before it does," Jon supplied when she didn't say anything.

Cheyanne shook her head. "He won't not fight Azog just because I tell him he's going to die. I already tried to do that, kind of." Jon gave her a look, and she ignored it. She reached into her pocket for her crystal and pulled it out, heart aching when she remembered Thorin's words to her.

As soon as he saw the crystal, Gary's eyes cleared. He held out his hand silently, and Cheyanne passed it to him over the counter top. When his hand came in contact with it, his skin seemed to have some color returned to it. He straightened up with a relieved sigh and closed his eyes. Life flowed back into the old man, his face returning to its normal state and his hair lifting back from his forehead. The crystal seemed to clear him of whatever darkness had shrouded him before.

Cheyanne blinked as she watch this. "It's like…" An image of something else flickered in her mind, and it clicked into place. "Lady Galadriel's ring!" she blurted out, pointing at the crystal. "It's made of the same stuff as her ring!"

"Light found in the darkness of a trolls' hoard," Gary confirmed, cradling the crystal in his hand for one moment longer before he submitted it back over to her. She held it close to her, gazing down at the stone. She didn't want to let it out of her sight, now that she knew what it was.

"Light."

"Oh, let me guess," Jon began sarcastically. "Thorin probably gave that to you, hmm?"

Cheyanne shrugged one shoulder, still looking down at the crystal. "He had Fili give it to me, but yeah."

"Sweet God," Jon groaned, covering his face with his hands. He approached the counter and leaned heavily against it. "Gary, please, tell me this is all some elaborate April Fool's Day joke you've been planning for years and you were too excited to wait till next year to pull it on us. Please tell me that it's just a coincidence, and that I'm not beginning to go crazy."

"No joke, my boy," Gary told him. "I'm afraid this is all too real."

Jon let out a moan and fell against the counter.

"So… I'm going back," Cheyanne concluded, finally returning the crystal to her pocket. "I'm going to do what I have to do." She looked down at the ground. "But…"

Gary nodded, and Jon turned to face her. They gazed at one another for a long moment before Jon asked Gary, "Will she come back?"

Gary didn't answer him.

Jon bowed his head solemnly and approached Cheyanne with a sad look on his face. She grinned up at him in a weak attempt to make him return it, but he didn't. Her smile fell from her face, and she silently reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up on her toes in order to do so.

Jon returned the hug, squeezing her tightly. "Who knew I was right all along?" he asked, voice breaking.

"I think we both knew, somewhere deep down," she responded quietly. Jon hugged her for a moment longer before he allowed her to sink back down to her normal height with a sigh.

"What's going to happen to her?" he questioned, while still looking at her.

"She'll transfer from reality to Middle-Earth permanently, leaving nothing behind but her memory," Gary answered. "It'll be as though she simply faded away into the shadows."

"Like a hobbit can," Cheyanne joked, throat thick.

Jon allowed her a sad grin. "I'll finish the story for you, if you like," he told her. "I don't know how good I'll be at writing it from your perspective, but I'll figure something out."

Cheyanne remembered the… _FanFiction_… she had been writing, and she shook her head. "It's a Fiction, Jon. I broke one of my rules."

This made him grin. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. "I'll remember you forever, Cheyanne," he said, "even when no one else does."

She swallowed. "And I'll never forget about you, Jon," she replied. "I don't think I could."

He nodded and stepped away from her. "I'll uh- I'll come to the apartment in a few days," he said. "Ju-Just to see…" Cheyanne dipped her head in understanding, and Jon backed away from her further, towards the door. "'bye, Chey."

"Goodbye Jon," she answered, bowing her head. "I love you." The door to the shop opened and closed, and when she lifted her head again, he was gone. She let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, aware she was shaking like a leaf.

"Cheyanne," Gary spoke softly from behind the counter, and she opened her eyes to see him holding a letter out to her. She frowned in confusion when she saw how old and yellowed the parchment it was written on was. Gary shook his head. "I didn't understand, either, but John wrote you a letter after he had written you from the book. I thought you'd want to read it yourself, before you went."

Cheyanne approached the counter and took the paper gently between her fingers. "Why do you have it?" she asked him, glancing up from the messy scrawl.

Gary merely smiled and tapped his temple. Cheyanne nodded and retreated to read the letter in her hands:

_My Lady Cheyanne Baggins of the Shire,_

_It troubles me greatly to have stooped so far as to write you a letter, when you are not even a real being, but I feel as though it is necessary, just as it was necessary to explain hobbits in the beginning of my work. Without an explanation, the reader would have been dropped into the middle of the journey without any understanding as to what they had gotten themselves into._

"Huh," Cheyanne mumbled under her breath. "I didn't get an explanation."

"What?" Gary queried.

"Nothing."

_That aside, I felt it was necessary to give you an explanation for what I did to you, despite the fact that you will never need to know because you are not real._

_I wrote you as a character to be the same and yet the opposite of your cousin. You are the same hobbit, and yet you are different in ways you view the world. Bilbo is much more resigned, while you are comfortable with going on wild expeditions into the wild with no visible fear about what may lay ahead._

_That is one reason I felt you weren't needed in the story. You are too strong, and had little to no room to develop as a protagonist, or even as a secondary character. When I realized that, it made me wonder if you were truly necessary to the tale I was writing._

_It was when I was nearing the end of the book that I realized you were to be the one to make Thorin fight stronger against Azog, to give the dwarf a reason to live. When I was writing of the encounter between the Orc and the dwarf, you were there, and you saved Thorin. I can quite remember how, now that I think of it again. I wrote it in the middle of the night, you see._

_That's when I understood that I had written you for the wrong purpose; you weren't supposed to be the love interest. My book wasn't supposed to need a love interest; it was about a hobbit that came to terms about how brave he was, while finding a magic ring to lead into the next book on the side._

_And so… You were unnecessary. The book wasn't about Thorin, it was about Bilbo. And you have nothing to do with Bilbo other than the fact that you are his cousin and you are very close to him._

_Believe me when I say that if I had been writing a story strictly for Thorin, I would have left you in. The story was for Bilbo, however, and you are not a part of Bilbo's story._

_Perhaps one day I will write a story in which you will make an appearance, or perhaps my friend Gareth will write one for me. He seemed infatuated with you as a character, my lovely Cheyanne._

_There is still hope for you to have a story of your own yet._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (J. R. R. Tolkien)_

Beneath the name was the author's signature.

Cheyanne lowered the letter and glanced at Gary. "Your name is Gareth?" she asked him with a small grin.

Gary grinned himself and dipped his head. "Now you see why I did this," he told her. "John had given me permission to write about you when I was ready. Only, I suppose I didn't write about you. I… Led you to your story."

Cheyanne nodded slowly. "So, I suppose it's time to give this story an ending, then?" she asked him, walking forward and passing the letter back.

Gary took it with a meaningful look. "If you're ready."

Cheyanne let out a breath and studied the shop for a long moment. So many books, and she hadn't read half of them, at least. It seemed like she never would, either.

Maybe Middle-Earth was bountiful in other stories she could fall in love with.

Slowly, she turned and looked at Gary. "I guess so." She titled her head. "When will I be arriving?"

"Oh, we'll see," Gary responded.

Cheyanne grinned. "I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely."

Cheyanne stood in her living room, reflecting over all that she had learned. Gary was Gandalf, or Gandalf was Gary, since Gary had come first. He had known Tolkien, and Cheyanne, by some strange event, was actually a character Tolkien had written out of _The Hobbit_ brought to life.

She was basically an actor, representing Cheyanne Baggins in a way similar to Martin Freeman representing Bilbo or Richard Armitage representing Thorin, only instead of just acting, it was real. That was the part Cheyanne couldn't wrap her head around.

It seemed everything she thought was right was actually wrong.

Very… Cliché, unfortunately. It seemed like the past two weeks had been one giant cliché.

She let out a breath and glanced around the room. She'd never seen this place again once she fell asleep. She hadn't realized just how much the little apartment meant to her. Perhaps she was noticing it now because it was going to disappear. It was her home, and she'd be losing it soon.

Cheyanne shook her head. If Bilbo could leave his home, so could she. The only difference would be that Bilbo was able to return home, and she couldn't. Though, if Gary was right, Middle-Earth was actually her home.

Everything about this whole thing was insane. How was it possible that Gary, the old man who owned a bookstore, was the same person as an old wizard who was fictional and had an actor that played him? How was it possible that Cheyanne was a fictional hobbit that had never been brought to life in the book she had come from?

The short answer was that none of it was true, and that both she and Gary were experiencing the same fever dream. Unfortunately, it seemed the long answer was the truth. Cheyanne didn't like the long answer; it made her head throb.

There was no point in trying to understand it, she decided. She never would, no matter how much she thought it over. All she could do was sleep and go to the place she belonged. If it was even where she belonged at all.

She suddenly felt uneasy. It was like she was putting her life in Gary's hands, which she had, more than once. Gary had been around as long as she could remember. She couldn't even begin to count how many times she'd counted on him to help her. And he'd done a fairly good job.

What was different about it now?

_Everything_, she thought to herself with a sigh.

Cheyanne settled down on the couch and silently reached over and picked up the remote from off the coffee table. She clicked the power button and the T.V. Cheyanne laughed dryly when she saw _The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey _was playing on cable.

"Might as well finish it the same way it started," she muttered. "What's one more cliché after all the others?"

She laid down on the couch before touching the pocket that held the crystal. It gave her a strange form of comfort, knowing that she had it with her. It was like all she had gone through was imbedded into that little crystal, proving that it had all actually happened. Everything had been real.

The crystal, and the pain in her leg helped her come to terms with that.

Cheyanne closed her eyes. "I wonder if I'll actually turn into a hobbit," she mused to herself in amusement.

* * *

**Ahah. Ahahah. That's... Yeah. That might be a thing. **

**See you next Monday. **


	19. BOTFA - Is This What We Want?

**Alright, you goofs. Here. You can have this. **

* * *

Cheyanne sat up, blinking. She was sitting in the main hall of Erebor at the foot of the king's throne. She yawned and started to stand up, but groaned as she moved her left leg. She glanced downwards and saw fabric wrapped tightly around it. Someone had covered her burn for her.

She also frowned when she noticed she wasn't wearing her torn jeans anymore. On her lower half was a brown wool skirt; she had a white button up shirt on, and over it, she was wearing a red vest. She also didn't have any shoes on. And her feet were abnormally big and hairy.

Cheyanne fell backwards against the throne in shock. She was a hobbit. She had actually turned into a hobbit. What the fu-

"Cheyanne, there you are!" Bilbo hurried around the throne, coming from the stairs behind it that led down to the treasure hoard. She understood the look he was giving her as he found her. Stopping next to her, his strange look turned to confusion. "What in the world happened to you?"

"I-I honestly don't know," Cheyanne answered. She managed to climb to her feet, and she let out a gasp of panic when she saw she was shorter than him.

Bilbo gaped at her in disbelief. "Cheyanne!"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, pressing her palms to her forehead. How was she supposed to explain to him that Gary/Gandalf had done this to her? She couldn't just say, "Oh, my old man friend who's actually our wizard friend decided to change me into who I actually am."

Bilbo shook his head and blinked. "You know what? I don't want to know. Right now, I need you to talk to Thorin."

Cheyanne frowned. "What's he done?"

"How long have you been up here?" Bilbo demanded. "Thorin hasn't left the treasure in almost two days now, I'm worried that if we don't do something soon, he's going to starve."

Cheyanne let out a breath. "Alright, I'll try to talk to him, but I don't think-" A flash of pain went through her forehead, and she groaned, touching the center. It hurt even when she lightly touched it with her fingers, and she winced, cursing.

Her vision was starting to get dark around the edges. She felt like she was falling, and she realized she had been when her back hit the ground. Bilbo called her name and shook her shoulders, but she couldn't respond. She moaned in pain and allowed her eyes to close.

Behind them, she was met by the last person she expected to see, and she rolled her eyes.

"Gary! Was that really necessary?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "but I needed to get in here somehow. Apparently, it hurts."

"What are you doing in my head?" she exclaimed in annoyance. "And why am I four inches shorter than I was?"

Gary let out a breath. "Cheyanne, I have to change your memories so that they fit the life of a hobbit instead of a human."

Cheyanne gaped at him. "No."

"Cheyanne-"

"Gary, I left Texas to do this. I left my _life_ to do this. I am not going to willingly give up my memories just to fit whatever weird story you're trying to write!"

Gary gazed at her for a long moment. She could tell her was trying to think of a way to convince her otherwise. She crossed her arms, visibly explaining that there was no way she was changing her mind, and Gary frowned.

"Cheyanne, I need to finish what I started by turning you into a hobbit. You're Cheyanne Baggins now, and you need Cheyanne Baggins's memories," he explained.

"No," she responded sternly. "I will not let you take my memories and turn them into something fake. I deserve that much, at the least. Don't you think so?"

Gary stared at her. "Cheyanne, I wish I could agree with you, but it wouldn't be fair if you continued to know everything about what was going to happen before it actually happens. You'll know that you're supposed to save Thorin with the crystal, and that's no climatic at all."

"Who cares?" she demanded. "No one is going to know except for you. Besides." She grinned smugly. "Thorin fell in love with Cheyanne Phillips. What's going to happen to your story if she turns into Cheyanne Baggins?"

Gary grunted. Cheyanne knew she'd caught him. He was silent for a very long moment, until at last he muttered, "Fine, you can keep your memories." Cheyanne was about to cheer in success. "But…." She lowered her arms and looked at him. Gary was smirking. "I'm going to make it so that all your memories are based in Middle-Earth instead of Earth itself, meaning everyone you know will be turned into hobbits. And you won't know what's going to happen next in the story anymore."

"Gary!"

He held up his hand. "If you want to stay Cheyanne Phillips in everything but your size, I suggest you don't try to argue."

Cheyanne didn't want to lose her knowledge about her life before, but she didn't want them to change completely! Jon was too tall to be a hobbit. And how were her parents going to die in a car accident without there being any cars in Middle-Earth? How was Gary going to change it so it still made sense?

"Don't you worry about it not making sense, Cheyanne," he told her coolly. "I'm the writer, and I know what I'm doing."

"Gary… How will I know I'm supposed to save Thorin with the crystal if you take away what I know about _The Hobbit_?" she asked him quietly, truly worried that she wouldn't.

Gary smiled at her. "Don't worry," he said. "You will remember everything that happened on the journey, you just won't know what will happen from here on out. The company will not remember that you knew everything beforehand." Cheyanne was going to say something else, but Gary shook his head. "You will be fine."

Cheyanne didn't know if she agreed with him. Maybe she would forget about the crystal in the heat of the moment, and just gape in shock as Thorin gets trapped underneath the Orc. Maybe she wouldn't realize that she was supposed to help him at all. Maybe… Maybe she wouldn't even be a part of the battle.

She looked at Gary. "I don't…" She trailed off and shook her head. "There's no point in talking about it, is there?" she asked him quietly.

"I won't let there be a bad ending, Cheyanne," Gary promised her.

Cheyanne sighed and nodded submissively. "Alright, G," she muttered. "I'm putting this in your hands."

Gary nodded once. "I know what I'm doing. Everything will turn out just like it's supposed too," he assured her. "Though, you won't know that because I'm also wiping this conversation out of your memory." Before Cheyanne could protest, he grinned and waved. "Good luck!"

Cheyanne fell through a trap door that opened in the ground and landed with a grunt in front of the throne. Bilbo was crouched next to her, and he shook her shoulders. "Chey!"

Her head lolled against her chest, and Bilbo slapped her cheek. She looked up in surprise, cursing something out. "That hurt!" she complained, rubbing her cheek.

"Why did you pass out?" demanded her cousin.

"I-I don't know," Cheyanne realized after a moment. "I… How long was I asleep?"

"Only a few minutes," Bilbo told her. Cheyanne sighed and pushed him off of her before climbing to her feet. She clenched her teeth against the pain in her leg. Bilbo sucked in a breath through his teeth as the bandage slipped down her leg and exposed the burn. "That does not look good, Chey."

"Thanks," she said under her breath, reaching down to pull the fabric back up. It hurt to try to tug it over her burn, and she grunted.

"Cheyanne, don't," Bilbo began, reaching over to do it for her. She waved him off with a grumble.

"I can do it myself." She hissed as the fabric of the bandage rubbed against the burn, and she let out a whine of pain. Bilbo gazed at her in concern, and she glared at him. "Go find something more useful to do than just stand there and gape at me," she ordered.

"Chey, I need your help," Bilbo told her. "_Thorin_ needs your help."

"Thorin doesn't need help," Cheyanne responded, finally managing to get the bandage back in place. "He's perfectly fine."

"You of all people should know that isn't true," retorted Bilbo. "He isn't the same dwarf he was. I know you can see it."

Cheyanne didn't like hearing Bilbo talk about Thorin that way. Her king was fine; he hadn't changed in the way he'd acted around her at all, aside from the addition of his very obvious affection for her. In her eyes, the changes had been for the better. Maybe Bilbo was just jealous.

She was about to poke fun at him about this when Dwalin appeared from the staircase behind the throne. "There you are," he exclaimed. "I thought you came up here to fetch her?"

"I did!" Bilbo replied. "She fainted."

"I did not," Cheyanne grunted. Bilbo rolled his eyes and she turned to the dwarf. "Are you going to ask me to talk sense into Thorin as well?" she queried.

"Yes," Dwalin answered. "He won't listen to the rest of us, and if he stays down there much longer, I don't know what will happen to him."

"Why do we think anything will happen to him?" questioned Cheyanne, starting to get annoyed with him. "Doesn't Thorin have every right to wallow in the treasure? We did win it back from Smaug."

Bilbo shook his head. "She's hopeless," he said to Dwalin, turning and walking away. Cheyanne watched him disappear down the stairs at the end of the throne hall before looking at the dwarf again.

"What's his problem?"

"Well, lass," Dwalin began with a sigh. "I think it's you."

"Me?" Cheyanne exclaimed in exasperation. "What does he expect me to say, Dwalin? I can't… I can't accept Thorin being sick. I won't. He's better than that."

Dwalin gazed at her carefully. "He is, but sometimes, it's not your choice. Sometimes something just happens, and there is no way for you to stop it." He glanced past her towards the throne. "I should have never let him enter Erebor again. At least not until we took care of the treasure, made it less extensive. Maybe then he would still be the Thorin we knew."

Cheyanne shook her head. "No. I refuse to hear _you_ say that. You know Thorin will be fine."

"I truly wish I could agree with you, Cheyanne," Dwalin said, his face sad. "With the way things are now, however, I can't."

"He's fine!" Cheyanne shouted. She turned and stalked away in the same direction Bilbo had gone, huffing. They had no right to judge Thorin when he was the only one who really knew what was going on inside his head. It was awful how quickly they were popping to explanations about him. "He isn't sick," she said to herself. "He's not."

She made it down the stairs and walked through the archway. She walked around the main level ring of walkway that lined the entry hall to the doors, still in ruin from Smaug's flight out of the mountain. Her shoulders slumped and she let out a breath. "Stupid dragon." Her leg was throbbing wickedly.

Ignoring it, she hobbled to the wreckage of doors and gazed out over the rubble towards Dale in the distance. The city looked so sad and dreary, void of life. She didn't know what Dale had looked like before Smaug's first attack, but she could only imagine. Busy markets, shining lights coming from the houses. Adults and children everywhere. All of that was a memory now, though.

Cheyanne was about to turn away from the doors when she noticed something through the fog above the plain at the foot of the mountain. Squinting, she tried to make clear of what she was seeing. It looked like a dark mass moving up the mountain towards Dale. As it got closer, she realized that it was people.

Her eyes widened. The survivors from Lake-town! They were coming up the mountain.

"Hey!" she shouted over her shoulder into Erebor. "Everyone come to the doors, quick! The Lakemen are entering Dale!" Within moments, half of the company was at the doors with her, and more were coming up from the throne hall, where the stairs behind it led down to the caverns.

Thorin himself appeared with Dwalin and Bilbo, and Cheyanne furrowed her brows when she saw his face. He looked angry. He stormed over to the rubble where the rest of them were standing and Cheyanne pointed to the crowd of people. "You see?"

The dwarf glared out at the survivors for a long moment. "Stone," he decided at last.

"What?" Cheyanne queried, confused.

"We need stone," Thorin said, turning to face the company. "Someone go get ropes and pulleys from the mines. We're going to build a wall so that they can't get in."

"Thorin-"

"Do it!"

Ori sprinted off, and Thorin waved his hand at the boulders remaining from the doors. "The rest of you, move these closer to the entrance. We need to do this quickly, before the Lakemen realize we're still alive in here."

The dwarves set to doing just that, no one protesting. Cheyanne watched them for a moment before she glanced up at Thorin. He had returned to glaring out at Dale, his face stony. "They only want what you promised them," she whispered to him.

He scoffed. "What I promised them? What else was I to do? We were short on time and supplies; I was going to say anything to get to Erebor, Cheyanne." He turned away from the city in the distance and went to help Balin move a boulder.

Cheyanne stepped away from the work, frowning. Thorin would never have decided to do this. The people of Dale were technically _his_ people. The paid homage to him. Shouldn't the king give his people what he promised them?

_Maybe he is sick,_ Cheyanne though to herself, getting nervous just thinking about it.

Bilbo walked over to her. "You're beginning to understand why I'm afraid now, aren't you?" he asked her quietly.

Cheyanne didn't answer. She didn't- _couldn't_ answer. She refused to accept Thorin had changed for the worse. He had his mountain; that's all that he should be worrying about now. The wall was just a precaution, not just from the people of Lake-town but from others that would come to the mountain and try to take the gold for themselves.

Cheyanne blinked. Where had the thought about the gold come from? Who cared about the gold? The sooner Thorin was away from it, the better.

Not that they needed to take him away from it, because he was fine.

Cheyanne hung her head and stared down at the floor. "Everything is alright," she mumbled to herself.

Bilbo sighed from where he stood beside her. Cheyanne lifted her head and watched him walk away, shaking his head. "Cheyanne!" She winced at Thorin's voice calling her name and immediately regretted fearing it. "Help Ori set up the lift."

Cheyanne turned around and went over to the younger dwarf to do just that. He gazed at her as she started to untangle ropes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she answered simply, and didn't say anything more.

(*)

Working hard and nonstop, the dwarves were finished with the wall by nightfall. Thorin stepped back when the final stone was in place at the bottom of the stairs leading up to a higher platform, and he nodded to himself. "That should be good enough for the moment."

He turned and addressed the others. "Tomorrow, we will continue our search for the Arkenstone." Cheyanne's throat clenched hearing him say the name. "At dawn. For now, I think we all deserve some sleep."

The dwarves sighed in relief, and they trotted off to find rooms in the vast mountain. Cheyanne remained where she was. This was not her home; she had no idea where to sleep, nor where to go to find a place.

She glanced around for Bilbo, but her cousin was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she sat down where she was and rested her chin in her hand. The room was almost empty now. Balin disappeared down a set of stairs, and she was alone. She fell backwards onto the cold floor and stared upwards at the high ceiling.

She heard movement, and she sat up again abruptly. It sounded like… A clinking of something. Quickly, she stood and followed the noise. It took her through a narrow passage and out into what appeared to have been a balcony, but it was coated in fallen stone pillars.

She traced the noise to the area behind one of the pillars, and almost shouted in surprise when she saw what it was. Bilbo was holding what could only have Arkenstone in one hand, and tapping it against the floor. He looked up as she rounded the corner, and his eyes went wide.

Quickly, he shoved the Arkenstone into his coat and hurried over to her, clamping a hand over her mouth. She gaped at him with wide eyes, and he met her gaze. "Shh," he said. "Don't talk loud, please. I'll explain everything to you if you keep quiet."

Cheyanne nodded after a moment, deciding she was too close to Bilbo to give him away. Bilbo slowly took his hand away and glanced over his shoulder. "I-I found the Arkenstone when I came into Erebor the first time," he explained in a whisper.

"You've had it this whole time?" she exclaimed quietly. Bilbo gave her a warning gesture to lower her voice with his hands, and she dropped her tone further down. "What have you been doing while the rest of us look for it?"

"I've been deciding whether or not to give it to Thorin!" responded the hobbit. "Seeing him today… I don't think I should."

"Bilbo, you must!" Cheyanne told him. "If you don't, he'll keep having everyone look for it until he drives himself mad."

"And what do you think will happen if I do give it to him?" Bilbo asked. "_Think_, Cheyanne. He's already obsessed with finding it. How will he act when he finally does?"

Cheyanne didn't want to think about it, not after seeing how Thorin had reacted to the Lakemen coming to take their share of the gold that he had _promised_ them. It seemed like Thorin wasn't going to part with any of the treasure, and if he gained the one thing that would give him complete power…

She shook her head. "You can't keep it, though. What if he finds out? You'll be dead."

Bilbo nodded. "I know," he said. "I do, and that's why I don't know what I should do with it." He glanced down at the ground. "Before you found me I was trying to decide if I could destroy it if I threw it against the floor hard enough."

Cheyanne could only gape at him, and Bilbo let out an exasperated breath. "Help me, Chey!"

"What do you want from me?" she demanded. "I can't help you with this; I have no idea what you should do."

"Give me something, at least! Tell me what you're thinking."

Cheyanne glanced down at the ground. "Does anyone else know?" she questioned after a moment.

"I think… Balin might have a suspicion, but he doesn't know for sure," Bilbo answered.

"Good," Cheyanne murmured. "Do your best to keep it that way." She gnawed on her lower lip, thinking. "Don't… Don't give it to Thorin, either, but don't try to destroy it."

"Why not? Wouldn't everything be better if it was just gone?" asked the hobbit.

Cheyanne nodded in agreement. "Yes, it would be. But… I just… I have a feeling that it may be important later on." She gazed at her cousin steadily. "Do not let _anyone_ know about it, do you understand me?"

Bilbo nodded weakly just as there were the sound of footsteps from the passage she had come through. Bilbo's eyes widened in fear, and Cheyanne pushed him towards the hall behind him. "Go, and don't open your mouth open this. Keep that damn thing away from him."

"Thank you, Chey," he said gratefully before turning and hurrying away into Erebor.

Cheyanne let out a breath just as someone placed a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing out here?" Thorin's deep, velvety voice ran over her. "It's freezing." She was suddenly draped in the robe he had received from the Master of Lake-town. It was much too big, but it was very warm, and Cheyanne tugged it around herself.

"Thank you," she said to Thorin.

The dwarf walked around to stand beside her. From where they were, they could see over the plain to the north-west of the Lonely Mountain, uncharted territory. Thorin gazed out at it for a long time, expression thoughtful. "I want to travel out there," he said at last, pointing with one hand.

"Even after you've been across Middle-Earth?" she queried in disbelief. "I would think you'd want to stay home."

Thorin chuckled. "I've been more than just across it, _ê_ _'ibin_," he said. "I've been all over it."

Cheyanne leaned into his side, and the dwarf wrapped an arm around her. Her knees went weak. Why did the others think he was sick when he was acting this way?

Even as she stood beside him, however, she had a feeling that he _was_ sick. He was sick with greed. Even the way his arm held her close gave her the sensation that he was being possessive of her. She was suddenly very nervous.

Carefully, she pulled away from him with a laugh and took off the robe. She held it out to him with a grin. "I need to go find a place to sleep," she explained when he took it, giving her a confused look.

Thorin's eyes glowed in the moonlight. "You could stay in my rooms," he said softly. "It wouldn't be the first time we've slept together."

Cheyanne's throat went dry. Oh, she wanted to sleep with him, feel his warmth beneath a blanket beside her, his strong arms wrapped around her protectively. She had felt safe when she had slept with him before. Would she still feel safe now, or would she feel like an item of value?

_Say no, Cheyanne,_ she said to herself firmly. _You can say no._

She met Thorin's gaze. His blue eyes watched her carefully. She could tell he was trying to read what she was thinking from her face. She straightened her expression so she wouldn't give anything away and opened her mouth to refuse his offer.

"Yes please."

_Damn it all to the Valar._

Thorin's eyes brightened. He took her hand in his. It warmed her cold fingers instantly. "Come with me," he said. "I'll show you how to get there."

Cheyanne smiled weakly in answer, and she allowed him to pull her into Erebor again. He led her up a staircase just inside the mountain to their left and across a suspended walkway a few floors up to a large oak wood door. With one hand, he pushed it open into one of the most luxurious rooms Cheyanne had ever seen.

Puffy armchairs sat before a giant fireplace built into the stone wall. A big canopy bed covered in blankets a dark royal blue awaited, unused and beckoning. Cheyanne wanted to throw herself onto it and fall fast asleep, only to wake up again in ten years or so.

Thorin nodded to the bed. "I haven't slept there in ages."

"I've never slept there." Cheyanne's voice was a squeak, and her cheeks grew hot in embarrassment.

Thorin laughed. "Well, you will tonight," he said. He released her hand and walked away towards another door within the room, disappearing behind it. Cheyanne stood baffled in the center of the room. What was she supposed to do, simply fall asleep while he held her like a toy he didn't want to share?

She stood, shaking, for several minutes until Thorin reemerged from the room he'd gone into. It must have been a closet of some sort because he had changed out of his traveling clothes into a simple outfit perfect for sleeping in.

Cheyanne bit her lip when he turned towards the fireplace. She could see his back muscles rippling beneath the thin cloth of the shirt he was wearing. His rear end wasn't hard to miss, either.

Thorin tossed a match onto the logs in the fireplace and rotated back around to face her. "I don't have anything for you to change into," he said regretfully.

Cheyanne immediately shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I don't mind sleeping in this." Her eyes widened. Maybe he didn't want her getting his bed dirty from her dusty clothing. "Unless, you don't want me too…"

"No, it matters not to me," answered Thorin as he approached her and took her hands in his. Running a thumb along the back of one of hers, he met her eyes. "I'm glad you decided to sleep in here."

Cheyanne swallowed. "It would have been rude to turn down the offer, wouldn't it?" she whispered hoarsely.

Thorin merely smiled and pulled her over to the big bed. Cheyanne's chin barely reached over the top of the mattress, it was so high up off the floor. She was about to try and climb up when Thorin took her by the waist and lifted her like she was no more than a feather. She pulled herself up onto the bed with his help, face on fire.

Thorin easily climbed up behind her, and he pulled back the top blanket, gazing at her all the while. "Are you alright?" he queried after a moment.

"Why do you ask?" Cheyanne retorted much too quickly.

"Chey, is there something you want to tell me?" He gazed at her with those blue eyes of his, trying to look right into her. Cheyanne turned away, refusing to submit so easily.

"I'm just nervous, that's all."

"Nervous?"

"Yes. About staying with you in your room. This is _your_ home, Thorin. I don't… I don't belong here." She reached over with her right hand and brushed it against the blue velvet coverlet. "This is very strange for me."

Thorin took her right hand in his left, and she followed his arm back to him. The dwarf was gazing at her steadily. "I asked you to stay with me, which means you belong here just as much as I do," he told her sincerely.

Cheyanne's heart began to ache. She knew he wasn't perfect, but it was hard to imagine he was so terrible when he acted this way with her. She needed him to be this gentle around everyone, to show that he could be the king they all knew he was before they had entered Erebor. Only, she didn't know how to do that.

Sighing, she returned the smile he gave her. "I'm exhausted," she said softly. "Should we go to sleep?"

Thorin nodded, and Cheyanne slid beneath the blanket, resting her head on the pile of pillows that awaited her. The fire in the fireplace wasn't strong, and the room was left in a soft orange flow that was just strong enough so she could roll over and see Thorin clearly in the darkness.

The dwarf had laid down on his side and was watching her. She could tell he wanted her to come closer so that he could hold her, as he had did those other times.

Cheyanne knew that she shouldn't, but she didn't know if she could stop herself. Thorin was so… Warm and safe. She was safe when she was in his arms, and she wanted that safety. If only she didn't want safety from whatever greed had taken over his mind.

She grinned again, but held herself back and didn't cuddle closer to him. "Good night, Thorin Oakenshield."

His expression changed slightly when he realized she wasn't going to let him hold her tonight. "Good night, Miss Baggins," he said in answer.

Cheyanne rolled over onto her side, facing away from him, and let out a silent breath. What was she supposed to do?

* * *

**Oh sheeeeeeett... Something's startin' to go down, and I don't know if it's gon' be pretty when it finally happens. **


	20. BOTFA - Which Jewel Does Thorin Need?

**Hallo! It's Tuesday. I don't even have an uploading schedule anymore. Just expect chapters during the week sometime. It's just a little cray cause _Beauty and the Beast_ rehearsals at school and such. Y'know how it goes. **

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Cheyanne rolled over with a contented sigh, and found herself taking in a face full of dwarf hair. Snorting, she hurriedly brushed it away and opened her eyes. She was lying very close to Thorin, so close, in fact, her chest was touching his. Thorin's eyes were still closed, and he was snoring quietly.

Cheyanne squeaked and scooted and away from him. Thorin stirred at her movement, and she quickly rolled back over so it would be like she was still sleeping.

"Chey?" His voice was drowsy, and she feigned sleepiness, rolling over to look at him, eyes squinted.

"Mmm?" She blinked a few times and forced a yawn. "What is it?"

Thorin looked at her through sleepy eyes. "It felt like you were getting up," he said.

"Why would I do that?" Cheyanne queried, giving him a grin.

Thorin returned it and sat up with a yawn. "I wonder what the time is," he said, glancing around the room.

"We'd probably know if you had a window," Cheyanne commented. She slid off of the bed and pushed her hair back, attempting to untangle it with her fingers. They merely got stuck in the brown curls, and she grumbled in frustration, pulling her hand out.

She heard Thorin chuckle. "Would you like a comb?" he questioned.

Cheyanne looked at him from over her shoulder. "Do you even have to ask?"

Thorin climbed down from the bed and crossed the room to a table. He picked up a silver comb and walked to her, holding it up. Cheyanne reached for it, but he held it up out of her grasp. She frowned. "I thought I was going to comb my hair?"

Thorin gazed at her. "Would you mind if I do it for you?" Cheyanne's frown deepened, and he let out a sigh. "My sister, Dis, she used to have me do her hair for her. She stopped asking when I-" He stopped.

"Grew to be a bore?" Cheyanne supplied with a grin. Thorin lifted one shoulder in a shrug, and she rolled her eyes. "Thorin, if you want to pretty me up, you may."

She turned around so that her back was to him. She felt Thorin place the comb in her hair, and her head was tugged backwards as he tried to pull it through. "Hmm," he commented thoughtfully.

"It's a mess," Cheyanne mumbled. "Just come out and say it."

"I wouldn't be that harsh," Thorin said, "but it is rather... Tangled." She felt the comb pulled from her hair and he started to pull apart the knots at the ends. "Might I suggest braids?"

Cheyanne didn't answer immediately. "I... I don't know how," she told him quietly.

The comb hesitated. "You cannot braid you hair?" Thorin questioned.

"No," Cheyanne answered. "I never learned." The comb started to move through the tangles again, and she paused. "Maybe... You could teach me?"

"Maybe I could just braid it for you," Thorin said softly. Cheyanne felt like reaching around and hugging him when he had finished speaking.

"I'd like that."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened inward. "Thorin?" Balin poked his head into the room. "Oh! I apologize. I didn't know I was disturbing you."

"It's alright, Balin," Thorin told him. "What is it?"

Balin stepped into the room, and he walked towards them. "We've spotted movement on the far side of Dale, coming from the west."

"Mirkwood?" Thorin didn't sound like he appreciated hearing this. "It's most likely our favorite Elf lord coming to claim his jewels."

Balin glanced at Cheyanne, and she raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else?" she asked him.

"Lord Thranduil is not alone," Balin said quietly. "He's brought with him an army of Elves, about a thousand or so, and a wagon train of food for the Lakemen."

The comb stopped again, and this time pulled from her hair completely. "What?" Thorin demanded under his breath.

"We think Thranduil has come prepared for war," Balin sighed, looking down at the floor. "It looks as though he is willing to fight for his gems."

"If he believes I am going to fall so willingly due to a battalion of a thousand elves, he has a surprise coming to him," Thorin growled.

"Thorin," Cheyanne began slowly. "It may be wise to just give Thranduil what he wants so he will leave us alone. We already have enough to handle with the Lakemen at our doorstep." She turned around and found him glaring at her. She swallowed thickly. "I mean... What if Thranduil convinces the Lakemen to fight?"

"She has a point," Balin put in gently.

Thorin shook his head. "Thranduil did not want us to reach the mountain, and so he does not deserve the jewels."

"The Lakemen gave us everything we needed, and you didn't give them what you promised in return," Cheyanne said under her breath. Thorin looked at her, eyes hard. She raised her chin. "I'm only speaking the truth. You promised Lake-town that Erebor would be sending gold their way as soon as Smaug was gone, and all you've given them is a rock wall to keep them out."

Thorin turned away and stalked off a few paces. "This treasure is ours," he muttered. "We will not let any of it leave the mountain before we find the Arkenstone."

"Thorin-" Cheyanne began, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"I want everyone down in the caverns to look for it," he said to Balin. "_Everyone_."

Balin exchanged a glance with Cheyanne before he dipped his head and hurried from the room. Thorin gave Cheyanne a look before he went into the closet. She followed him, but stood outside so she wouldn't see anything.

"Why is it so important that you find the Arkenstone?" she asked. "You needed it to bring the seven dwarf armies under your rule to kill Smaug, yes? The dragon is dead, Thorin. You don't have to do this to yourself anymore. You can give the Lakemen their gold, and start up what you had before."

"It isn't that simple, Cheyanne," Thorin told her from behind the door. "We've discussed this before - the Arkenstone is the King's Jewel; it will give me my right as a son of Durin to rule under the Mountain."

"If I recall correctly, no other king has a fancy rock that gives them power," Cheyanne pointed out. Any and all attempts she was making were failing, but she didn't want to give up. She believed that if she tried hard enough, Thorin would realize he was being ridiculous and end the search and start doing his duty as king.

He appeared from inside the closet, dressed in what he had been wearing the day before. He gave her a serious look and took her chin in his hand. "The Arkenstone is a sign of the superiority of our people," he said simply. "Without it, no one will recognize us as the true higher power."

"And it's absolutely necessary for everyone to see you that way?" Cheyanne queried.

"Yes." His tone was firm, and he was not just answering her question, but also telling her he was done talking about it.

Cheyanne decided to not respond. She realized that everything she was thinking of saying would carry on the conversation, and she did not want to make Thorin angry with her. She pulled away from him and walked towards the door, glancing over her shoulder.

Thorin was watching her walk away with a look that made her feel very uncomfortable. Nervously, she fumbled to pull open the door and she quickly scampered out of the room, her breaths coming rapidly. She hurried down a set of stairs and went to the throne hall. Cheyanne stopped to catch her breath. Thorin had been looking at her like she was a... A piece of meat he wanted to eat. Or how an alcoholic would stare at a bottle of ale or wine. It gave her the sense that Thorin believed she was his, and no one else was allowed to have her.

She didn't like the feeling at all. It made her feel... Dirty, almost.

She was trying to get rid of the disgust she felt coating herself when there were gentle hands placed on her shoulders. She let out a breath and turned to face him. Thorin was staring down at her in concern, the look from before not even remotely visible in his blue eyes.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her quietly, raising her head so that he could look into her eyes.

"Thorin," she began, backing away from him. His eyes followed her, and she sighed. "We need to talk."

"Of course," he said immediately. "I agree. Right now, however, I need to join the others in the search for the Arkenstone. We will speak later."

He turned to walk away down a set of stairs behind the throne. Cheyanne swallowed and planted her feet. "We will speak right now," she said, forcing herself to sound firm. Thorin stopped, and Cheyanne winced when she noticed the stiffness of his shoulders. "Right now."

Thorin glanced at her from over his shoulder, all concern missing in his gaze. Cheyanne held out her arms. "Look around." This caught Thorin's attention. He turned and faced her again, and she gestured with more exuberance. "Go on, do it."

The dwarf's eyes drifted around the throne hall. "What am I looking for?" he questioned after a moment.

"Where are you?" She had a plan, and if it didn't work, she had no idea what to do.

Thorin looked at her. "Is that a trick question?" She raised an eyebrow, and he held out his arms. "I'm in Erebor. The Lonely Mountain. I'm in the throne hall, with you."

"Whose throne hall?"

"Mine?"

"The king's."

Thorin smiled. "Cheyanne, I am the king."

"Oh," Cheyanne responded with a frown. Thorin's brows furrowed, and she shrugged. "I mean… I'm confused now, because a few minutes ago you said you weren't a king without the Arkenstone, so."

Thorin's expression went from straight to confused, but only momentarily. "Maybe to others," he said after a moment, "but to those already here, I am the king."

"So, the throne room is yours, then?" Cheyanne questioned. Thorin nodded after a brief hesitation, and Cheyanne crossed her arms. "Alright."

This time, Thorin's eyebrow lifted. "Was there a point to this conversation?"

"I was just wondering why, if you're viewing yourself as king, you're not realizing that the people in Dale helped you get to this point. As king, it's only right of you to pay back the people that helped you. They deserve what you promised them," Cheyanne told him calmly.

Thorin frowned. "The gold is not theirs," he said. "It is ours."

"Wait, if it's ours, can I give mine to the Lakemen?" Cheyanne asked, tilting her head.

"Miss Baggins-"

"What?" she demanded. "If it's mine, don't I get to choose what happens to it?" She met his gaze steadily. "Unless, it's not ours? Is it yours?"

"Whatever you're trying to do is not going to work," Thorin told her. "The gold is staying in the mountain where it belongs."

He started to walk away from her, and Cheyanne looked down at the floor, finally realizing that Bilbo had been right. "The real Thorin wouldn't have done this," she muttered under her breath.

Thorin stopped dead. His shoulders tightened once again, and he turned to face her. Eyes blazing, he stormed down from the dais the throne was on and grabbed the front of her vest. "What did you say?" he demanded.

Cheyanne met his gaze, angry more than afraid. "I said the real Thorin would. Not. Have. Done. THIS!" Each word was clipped and louder than the last. Thorin glared at her for a moment longer before he released her vest and stalked away towards the throne.

Cheyanne straightened her vest and turned around sharply, prepared to leave him. She stopped when Thorin shouted at her: "Don't you dare walk away now, you miserable halfling."

Cheyanne sucked in a deep breath. Not turning to face him, she straightened her shoulders and said coldly, "I don't take orders from you. The Thorin I was willing to follow is long gone, and a stranger is standing where he should be."

Thorin stormed to her and twisted her around by the shoulders. "Look at me and say that again," he growled, leaning over her.

Cheyanne merely glared up at him. "You are a stranger!" she hissed. "A fake. You sit here, locked away in this mountain believing you are a king when you are nothing more than a greedy thief." She spat out the last word, and it left a horrible taste in her mouth.

"Do not speak to me of thievery!" Thorin shouted. "I took back what was mine!"

"Thorin Oakenshield set out to take back what was his!" Cheyanne corrected sourly. "And Thorin Oakenshield made a promise to the very people you refuse to help because you'd rather stay in here and moon over gold!" Thorin narrowed his eyes dangerously, but Cheyanne didn't look away. "You have less claim to the wealth in this mountain than Smaug did."

That was too much for Thorin. Something inside him snapped, and he threw her backwards like a piece of rubbish he didn't want to look at. "Get out of here this moment," he ordered, voice hoarse. "I can't believe I-" He shook his head, cutting himself off.

Cheyanne climbed back to her feet, but didn't leave right away. "Thorin promised Lake-town a rebirth of what their city once was, and it was his duty as king to give that to them. In return, the Lakemen gave him everything he needed in order to see that done. They had faith in him, they trusted him. But what did they receive in return? Nothing but dragon-fire and ruin."

"Get out!" His command echoed all around them.

"You are no one except you who make yourself," she murmured as a final thought. "Remember that, and decide if this is who you want to be."

She turned and walked away from him, exiting the throne hall, close to tears. What had happened to her king? What had seeped into him to turn him into such a creature of greed? It physically pained her to see him this way, and there was nothing she could do to help him. That's what hurt the most.

"Cheyanne!" She stopped walking when she heard Bilbo's voice, and she turned and let herself fall into his outstretched arms. Her cousin had seemed to know she needed him.

"You were right," she sobbed into his chest. "He's gone, Bilbo. Gone!" Bilbo held her close, and she shook her head. "Why did I think I could help him?"

"You love him," Bilbo told her softly. "You want him to be who you fell in love with, but it's… It can't be like that right now, Chey."

"I don't love him," Cheyanne muttered, tears stopping almost at once. She pulled away and wiped at her eyes fiercely. "I could never love that- that monster!" Bilbo gave her a forlorn look, and she turned away in frustration. "I don't love him. I never did, and I don't think I ever will."

"Halflings, there you are." Balin called to them from the opposite side of the main hall, where he was standing at the newly built wall. "Bard approaches the gates on horseback."

Cheyanne and Bilbo exchanged a look before they went towards the dwarf. "Is he alone?" Bilbo asked him.

Balin shook his head. "Not exactly."

Thorin appeared from another passage as Cheyanne and Bilbo waked towards the wall. Cheyanne didn't give herself a long look at him, but she could see how stony his face was. He made it to the wall before they did, and climbed up the stairs without glancing in the hobbits' direction.

Balin ushered them up the stairs to where the others were, Cheyanne's eyes widdened when they landed on Dale. "Sweet Nessa," she gasped under her breath. An army of Elves, just like Balin had said earlier, were standing among the ruins of Dale in gold plate armor. Bard rode towards the mountain on the back of a horse without an escort, but Cheyanne could see the Elves holding bows, even from the distance.

"Thranduil _really _wants his gems," Bilbo murmured from beside her.

The company waited in silence for Bard to reach the mountain. He pulled his mount to a halt just before the wall and gazed up at them. "Hail Thorin, son of Thrain!" he called to Thorin, who had stationed himself in the center of the company. "We are glad to see you alive beyond hope."

Thorin ignored the formality. "Why do you approached the gates of the King Under the Mountain armed for war?" he demanded.

Bard continued to look up at him calmly. "Why does the king fence himself in, like a robber in his hold?"

Thorin returned the cool gaze. "Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed!" he called down to the man.

It took a lot of Cheyanne's willpower to hold her tongue, though she did allow her eyes to roll.

"We did not come to rob you," Bard told the dwarf. "We came for fair settlement." He tilted his head. "Will you not speak with me?"

Thorin dipped his head in agreement and walked down the stairs. The company hurried after him, and Bilbo glanced at Cheyanne before doing the same. Cheyanne remained where she was, gazing out towards Dale. She could see the Elf lord Thranduil astride a great elk in front of the city, watching the Mountain closely.

Cheyanne heard squawking, and she looked up just in time to see a raven fly over her head and out of Erebor, heading towards the East. She wondered where it had come from for a moment, until she heard Thorin shout, "Be gone! Ere our arrows fly!"

Cheyanne leaned over the wall and watched Bard climbed onto his horse angrily and ride away towards Dale once more. She then turned and gazed down at the company. "Someone knock one of the stones off of the wall. We need to destroy the walkway to the gates," Thorin ordered.

Cheyanne let out a breath and walked down the stairs as Dwalin, Fili and Kili went up them, holding a long pole. The ground trembled as she reached the lower floor, and she glanced through a hole in the wall. The stone they had loosened had crashed through the pathway leading over a body of water to the mountain.

She turned away from the hole and leaned against the wall heavily. "This is only going to get worse," she sighed, closing her eyes.

"Come on, Chey!" Fili called to her as he hurried back down the stairs and hopped into the battle line the dwarves had formed. "We're prepping for war!"

The dwarves started to march away, and Cheyanne glanced up at Bilbo, whom had walked over to her. She lifted her fist half-heartedly and grunted, "Huzzah?"

"Huzzah," Bilbo agreed with a shake of his head. The hobbits then went after the dwarves, following them towards the armory. As the dwarves dived in to put on their army, Cheyanne and Bilbo remained outside. She watched Fili help Kili into a chest plate of mail, and she shook her head.

"There's no way to stop them, is there?" Bilbo didn't answer, and she let out a sigh. "I wish Gandalf were here. Maybe he'd be able to do something about this." The wizard had been saving her from bad decisions most her life. She didn't know how dead she'd if the wizard hadn't stuck his nose into her business when she was younger.

"You aren't the only one that wants Gandalf back," said Bilbo with a sigh of his own.

"Master Baggins!" Thorin stood in front of the armory, dark against the golden light within. Cheyanne stiffened and hid her face in Bilbo's shoulder. "Come here."

Bilbo patted her on the head and approached the dwarf cautiously. Cheyanne watched them from where she stood, nervous. "I have a gift for you," Thorin said to her cousin. He reached into the armory and pulled out a shirt made of steel links. He held it out to the hobbit. "Put it on."

Bilbo slowly began to remove his coat and vest as Thorin held up the shirt. "This coat is made of silver steel. _Mithril,_ it was called by my forebears." Bilbo took the shirt and slid it over himself. "No blade can pierce it."

Her cousin gazed down at himself for a brief moment. "I look ridiculous," he said. "I'm not a warrior, I'm a hobbit."

"It's a gift," Thorin told him. "A token of our friendship." Cheyanne sighed and bowed her head. "True friends are hard to come by here." She glanced up and saw Thorin look over his shoulder towards the armory. "I have been blind, but now I begin to see," he started, grabbing Bilbo and pulling him away from the armory and closer to where Cheyanne had hid herself in the shadows. "The Arkenstone…" Cheyanne held her breath. "One of them has taken it. One of them is false."

She sighed in relief, but knew it was awful. How could Thorin think such a thing?

Bilbo didn't look happy to hearing this, either. "Thorin, the quest is fulfilled," he said slowly. "You've won the mountain. Is that not enough?"

Thorin made no signs of having heard him. "To be betrayed by my own kin…"

"You gave a promise to the people of Lake-town," Bilbo said, more forceful this time. "Is treasure truly worth more than your honor? Our honor, Thorin. I was also there, I gave my word."

"For that, I am grateful," Thorin told him. "It was nobly done. But the treasure in this mountain does not belong to the people of Lake-town. This gold is ours, and I will not part with a single coin. Not one piece of it."

Cheyanne flinched when she heard his voice. He sounded exactly like Smaug did. She froze when Thorin gazed past Bilbo towards where she was standing in the shadows. The blue fire that had risen in his eyes died, and he bowed his head. "Miss Baggins, come here please."

She hesitated. After how they had finished their last conversation, she didn't know if she wanted to do as he asked. Did she truly want to get closer to him, especially with the way he had sounded just then?

Thorin sighed. "Please. I'm not angry with you."

Cheyanne slowly walked over to him, terrified. Thorin silently reached forward and took a section of her hair in his hands. Within a few moments, he had braided it and fastened it at the end. Cheyanne lifted the braid, her eyes widening when she noticed the bead on the end. It was silver and had tiny rubies the same color of her vest embedded into it.

She let the braid drop, and it bounced against her shoulder as she shifted her eyes up to Thorin's. "I said I would braid it for you," he said quietly with a small smile that was also visible in his eyes. "Do you like the cuff? I… Found it. With the treasure. The rubies made me think of your vest."

Cheyanne felt her heart start to swell, but she forced it back down to normal size. _You're angry at him, remember?_ "It's very nice," she said stiffly, turning away.

"Cheyanne, please… I didn't want to act the way I did before," Thorin told her softly. "I don't know what happened. Forgive me."

She forced herself to look at him. His head was bowed, and he looked sincerely sorry. She let out a breath. There was no way for her to stay angry with him. It was impossible. Silently, she moved closer and hugged him around the waist, pressing her face into his chest.

Thorin breathed out in relief and wrapped strong arms around her. She didn't get the sense of possessiveness that she had gotten before from him, and Cheyanne allowed herself to relax in his hold. "Don't… Don't act like that again," she told him quietly but firmly.

Thorin chuckled. "I won't. I promise."

_Can I trust you to keep that promise?_

She released him, but he didn't let her go far. "Tonight, we will all get a good night's rest," Thorin said to the dwarves. "Until then, we must prepare. Everyone will train together until their skills are honed to their best, for tomorrow, we fight to keep what we have earned!"

The dwarves cheered heartily in agreement, several banging the ends of their weapon's handles on the floor. Thorin looked down at Cheyanne. "I must go train with the others," he said to her. "I will see you training soon as well, yes?"

She nodded silently, and Thorin held her hand for a moment longer before he went off with the others, leaving her and Bilbo alone outside of the armory. She waited until all sound from the dwarves was gone before she turned to her cousin. "What are we going to do? We can't let them fight!"

"I know," Bilbo answered immediately, gazing towards the stairs the dwarves had gone down. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he was deep in thought. "What if… No, it wouldn't work. Never mind."

"Bilbo, if there's _any_ possibility of it working, I want to hear about it," Cheyanne told him sternly. "Tell me."

Bilbo pursed his lips. "What if… What if I gave the Arkenstone to Thranduil and Bard?" he asked quietly. "They could use it for bargaining, and maybe trade it for what Thorin owes each of them." Cheyanne immediately opened her mouth to disagree, but Bilbo help up his hands. "Just, think about it for a moment. Thorin wants the Arkenstone more than anything right now, doesn't he? Don't you think he would be willing to trade some gold and Thranduil's gems for the very thing he believes will give him power?"

"Maybe," Cheyanne allowed, "but what's going to happen to you when he realizes you gave it to them?"

Bilbo looked down at the floor. "I don't think anything will happen to me," he told her after a moment. Cheyanne furrowed her eyebrows, and he looked at her with a grin. "I'll take the Arkenstone as my fourteenth share of the treasure."

* * *

**The way I figure, usually in FanFictions, the heroine is suddenly gifted with the inborn skill to wield a weapon. Cheyanne is not going to be like that; she's gonna train to figure out how to do it. **

**Cause I'm not one of those writers. **

**I'll see y'all sometime next week? I guess. **


	21. BOTFA - I Dream of a Wizard

**Hi. **

**GTA V for PC comes out at midnight. **

**Bye.**

* * *

Cheyanne did train. She trained hard. She worked with Kili on using a bow, worked with Dwalin and Thorin on swordsmanship, and Fili even taught her a few tricks involving daggers. By the time she couldn't train any longer, it felt like her feet were heavy weights. She could barely walk.

Somehow, she made it up the stairs to Thorin's bedchamber and slumped into one of the arm chairs in front of the barren fireplace. Groaning, she made herself stand long enough to light a fire before she sank back down into the armchair again and thought about what she and Bilbo were planning on doing, rolling the bead in her braid nervously between her fingers.

She and Bilbo had come up with a plan to get him out of Erebor without anyone knowing, and then safely back in when he had taken the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil. She was supposed to distract Thorin, because he was the one who stayed up later than the others. While she had Thorin, Bilbo would climb down the mountain, hurry to Dale, hand over the Arkenstone, and run back.

How she was supposed to distract Thorin was the issue Cheyanne was dealing with.

She dropped her braid as the door began to open. Thorin appeared, sleek with sweat. His eyes widened when he saw her sitting in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, but he smiled.

"Have you been waiting up here long?" he questioned, closing the door and walking further into the room.

"No," Cheyanne answered, rising. She went over to him and used her sleeve to wipe away some of the dampness on his forehead. "You're disgusting," she told him with a frown.

Thorin laughed. "Yes, that's typically what happens when you spend the whole day fighting dwarves." He began to peel off his sweaty shirt but stopped when he met her gaze. "Apologies," he said. "I'll be back in a moment."

He disappeared into the closet, and Cheyanne panicked. She quickly scurried over to the door and sat down in front of it, blocking its outward swing to open. She waited in silence for a minute, and then the door banged against her back.

"Cheyanne?" Thorin called through the door.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"What is blocking the door?" Thorin queried.

"That would be me."

"Why?"

Cheyanne searched her brain for a sensual response, but all she could come up with was, "I don't want you to come out."

Thorin paused. "Why not?" he asked after a moment.

Cheyanne squeezed her eyes shut and blurted, "I don't have my shirt on." She cursed herself under her breath as soon as the words came out of her mouth.

Thorin was silent for a long moment. "Put it back on, then," he said at last.

"I-I am," Cheyanne said, "but I can't put it on and hold the door shut at the same time."

"I won't try to open it until you tell me too," Thorin told her.

"Do you promise?" Cheyanne questioned, glancing around the room desperately for another distraction.

"Of course."

Her eyes landed on the bed. "A-Alright! Hold on!" she responded, moving away from the door. "Just... Putting my shirt back on!" She moved over to the bed and pulled off all the blankets, flinging them around the room in many different directions. "Now I'm putting on my vest!" She yanked the pillows away as well and shoved them under the bed before she let out a puff of air and pushed her hair back. "You can come out now."

The closet door was opened by a grinning Thorin, whose grin dropped immediately when he saw the blankets all over the room. Cheyanne held out her arms in confusion. "I know, I don't get it either. It just... Happened."

Thorin gave her a look and moved over to pick up one of the blankets. "If I didn't know you better, I would think you were trying to give me a hint," he commented as he dropped it onto the bed.

Cheyanne backed away from him. "No, no hint. The blankets just flew off the bed, I swear to you. It was like magic!" Thorin lifted an eyebrow and stepped towards her. Cheyanne pressed her back against the stone wall. "Magic?" she repeated weakly.

Thorin walked over to her until he was standing directly in front of her. He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head and gazed at her. "Are you trying to distract me from something?" he asked her, tilting his head.

Sweet Nessa, he smelled good. Tobacco mixed with sweat was tantalizing. She sucked in a deep breath of his scent and looked away. "Of course not," she whispered. "Why would I do that?"

"You wouldn't have to," Thorin said, leaning forward. She ducked beneath his arm as his mouth was about to level with hers, giggling nervously.

"Y'know, I'm actually really tired!" she exclaimed, making herself yawn. "I bet you're exhausted as well, having trained all day. Maybe we should fix the bed and get to sleep?"

Thorin gazed at her curiously. "Are you avoiding me?"

"Yes," she allowed herself to squeak. "Much... Much too fast, Thorin. We haven't even decided what my nickname is going to be!"

Thorin shook his head. "That was your job, _'ibin_," he reminded her, walking past her to pick up another blanket.

"Yes, and I'm not good at it," she responded, stooping down to pull out the pillows. When she straightened up, she felt hands around her waist, and she stiffened. Thorin's breath was against the back of her neck, his facial hair rubbing against her skin. "Maybe you should consider your options," he suggested, voice rumbling against her back.

Cheyanne pulled out of his grasp, twisting around in a small spin as she did so. "I definitely should. So, my choices were _'ibin_, which you seem to enjoy, or... _Beleb_, yes?" She dropped the pillows onto the bed and hummed to herself. "I don't know. It's so hard to choose."

Thorin bent down and picked up the blanket that was lying near his feet. "I think _'ibin_ suits you better," he supplied.

"It's much prettier than _'beleb'_," Cheyanne admitted. "Not that I'm saying I'm pretty or anything."

"You are," Thorin told her.

Cheyanne felt her cheeks grow warm with a blush, and she ducked her head. "Thank you."

"So, _'ibin_ it is, then?" Thorin asked after a moment. She nodded. "Very good. We've gotten past that stage."

"I'm a jewel, apparently," Cheyanne said. "Hurray."

Thorin shook his head and gestured to the bed. "Sleep?"

"Good idea!" Cheyanne struggled to get up onto the mattress and huffed. Thorin approached from behind and gently lifted her, as he had done the night before. Cheyanne crawled to the further side of the bed and waited for Thorin to climb up as well. When he did, she flopped down and rolled onto her side.

"Don't fight tomorrow," she whispered to him. "Please. Everyone will be so much happier if you just give the Lakemen and Thranduil what they want." She turned on her side, facing away from him. "Then... No one has to die."

Without asking for permission, Thorin reached out and pulled her to him. He locked her against his chest by closing his arms around her. "No matter what tomorrow brings, know that I am glad you were here with us throughout it all," he told her quietly.

Cheyanne closed her eyes and let herself sink against Thorin. _Please be careful, Bilbo_, she said to her cousin silently. _We need you._

She rolled over in his grasp and buried her face into his chest. "Thorin Oakenshield," she said softly.

"Yes?"

"You need to be yourself tomorrow," she told him. "That's the only way you will make it through to the next day."

"I cannot make any promises, _ê 'ibin_," he said in response, "but I will do my best for you."

Cheyanne longed to kiss him. She knew tonight could be their last together, if the plan Bilbo had come up with failed. What would she do if she were to lose Thorin and still be alive? What if she were to lose any of them? Fili, Dwalin, Bilbo... They were her family.

Thorin's lips pressed against her forehead. "Do not fear the day that comes," he whispered. "Bad thoughts lead to bad things."

"Yes they do," Cheyanne agreed under her breath, huddling closer to him. _I can't lose them. I can't._

"Gandalf?" Cheyanne was surprised. "When in the Valar did you get back?"

Gandalf was seated in a chair across from her, holding his staff in both of his hands before him. Cheyanne was sitting in a chair of her own, in a place she'd never seen before. It was a big open field, and a small stream was floating by, water whispering over the stones at the bottom.

She glanced around in worry, wondering where they were and how they had gotten there. Gandalf merely shook his head at her, asking her to keep questions to herself. She furrowed her eyebrows, but nodded in response.

"Cheyanne, do you remember what I told you before asking you to come on the journey with us?" he queried gently.

"Well…" Cheyanne thought back, removing herself from the field and back to where she and Gandalf had been sitting underneath the big tree just outside the Shire. The old wizard had been smoking his pipe at the time, a thoughtful look on his face. She'd made fun of him for it, and Gandalf had frowned in disappointment at her.

"I thought I had raised you with better manners," he said sternly.

"Well, when you look like you're daydreaming about something, what am I supposed to do?" she'd asked. "You never daydream, Gandalf."

Gandalf had let out a hum. "I wasn't daydreaming. I was thinking about your cousin."

"My cousin?"

"Bilbo Baggins."

"Ah." Cheyanne didn't know much about her cousin. She hardly ever saw him; he was such a homebody, rarely leaving his home in Bag End rather than to go to some other hobbit hole for tea. Hers was not on the list of homes he visited. She hardly believed he knew she existed, in fact.

Thinking about this, she'd turned to look at Gandalf. "What are you thinking about him for?"

"I was just wondering how useful he would be on an adventure," Gandalf responded with a small yawn. He was acting disinterested, but Cheyanne's interest had shot up.

"An adventure? What adventure? Why didn't you tell me about this?" She barraged him with questions, and Gandalf studied her through one open eye, the other closed.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know if I wanted you to come along," he said once she'd run out of questions.

She frowned. "Of course you want me to come along!"

Gandalf chuckled. "I suppose you would add a little variety to the group we've rounded up." He paused for a moment, and opened his other eye, turning his gaze to the sky. "Cheyanne, may I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied immediately.

"How much do you know of dwarves?"

"Dwarves?" Cheyanne pursed her lips. "Not much, I'm afraid. I've never seen a dwarf before, but I know that they… Live in mountains?"

Gandalf smiled. "Well, you know the important part, at least."

"Why does it matter if I know of dwarves?"

"Because our journey is focused entirely on dwarves and a mountain, my dear girl," Gandalf told her.

"Oh!" Cheyanne felt ridiculous. Of course the adventure had something to do with dwarves. Why else would Gandalf had brought them up? "Sorry," she apologized. "I should have guessed that. What mountain?"

"The one mountain that is no longer inhabited by dwarves," Gandalf said. "Erebor."

"The Lonely Mountain?" Cheyanne had seen maps with the name written on them.

"Yes," Gandalf confirmed. "We're going to get it back."

"Get it back? Was it taken?"

Gandalf nodded, and Cheyanne waited for a deeper explanation. "A dragon by the name of Smaug took Erebor from the line of Durin a number of years ago," Gandalf told her. "I met with the heir to the throne of Erebor, Thrain, and he gave me a map with holds a secret in it. One that I cannot decipher, but one that will get us into the mountain."

"Who is "us", exactly?" Cheyanne queried.

"A company of thirteen dwarves, including the heir to the throne."

"Thrain?"

"No." Gandalf had looked at her at this point. "His son, Thorin."

Cheyanne tilted her head. "So, them, me and you, and… Bilbo?" She winced. "I don't think he'll be up to the task."

Gandalf merely turned his eyes back to the sky. "I don't know, Cheyanne," he said thoughtfully. "I believe that Bilbo may change his mind, when he realizes that another hobbit is coming along."

"Oh, so that's the only reason you're letting me come, is it? To convince the male hobbit to join along?" Cheyanne crossed her arms with an annoyed huff, and Gandalf laughed.

"Of course that's not the only reason," he'd said when he was done. "I'm certain you will serve a purpose along our journey as well. I just don't know what it is quite yet."

Cheyanne removed herself from the memory and found herself with Gandalf in the field again. "Well, you told me that Bilbo would only come if I came, and that I might have a role to fulfill as well," she told him, answering his question.

Gandalf nodded. "Good. I'm glad you haven't forgotten that."

"Why?"

The wizard stood up from his chair and paced to the edge of the stream. "The purpose you were meant for is approaching," he said over his shoulder. "I just wanted to refresh your memory so that you were prepared when it arrives."

"Gandalf." Cheyanne rose from her chair and started to walk towards him, but with every step, it seemed like he was getting further away. She stopped in confusion. "What is this place?"

"I will see you soon, Cheyanne," Gandalf answered.

"Gandalf!" The wizard and the field faded away, and Cheyanne shot up in Thorin's bed. Glancing around, she saw that he was in his bedchambers, and she let out a breath, brushing away the hair hanging in her face.

_A dream_, she thought to herself._ Just a dream._

Lying back down, she turned to look at Thorin. His back was towards her, but she could see him rising and falling rhythmically as he breathed. Cheyanne couldn't help but smile slightly, and she cuddled closer to him. Thorin stirred, and he rolled over, one of his arms falling over her.

"Valar guide me," she whispered to herself with a small sigh. What had Gandalf known about her role in the journey before the journey had even begun? What was she supposed to do? She'd already tried helping Thorin with his illness; clearly, she hadn't done much.

What was left?

She closed her eyes and pictured what life would be like if none of this was happening. Perhaps she's go home with Bilbo, and they'd be best buddies, like they should have been before all of this. Them and her friend Jon, too. They could have parties together!

The thought made her grin sleepily to herself. Wouldn't that be nice?

But then, there was Thorin, too. Where did he fit into the picture?

She yawned. He could visit the Shire, and sit grumpily in the corner during the parties, like he probably would anyhow. Yes, that sounded about right.

Cheyanne opened her eyes again and looked into the sleeping face of the dwarf lying beside her, her heart aching when she realized that she could very well lose him tomorrow.

_I won't let that happen_, she decided firmly. _Nothing is going to happen to you. You're going to stay alive, and you're going to get better, and everything is going to be just fine._

Now, if only she could see into the future to make sure all of that was true…

* * *

**And now, a haiku. **

**My name is not good**

**I have zero friends right now**

**I am a loser**

***bows* Thank you. **


	22. BOTFA - Things Come To Light

**GTA V on my PC is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. **

**Well, one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Skyrim on my PC is another one.**

**And Thorin.**

* * *

Cheyanne awoke before Thorin, and she didn't wake him this time. The longer he slept, the less time there was for a battle to begin. She crept from the bed and hurried out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

"Cheyanne!" Bilbo hissed at her from the shadows at the end of the walkway, and she scurried forward to talk with him.

"Did you do it?"

He nodded. "Yes. Gandalf is with them, Chey! He's in Dale!"

"What's he doing down there?" Cheyanne demanded, remembering her dream. "He should be up here with the rest of the company!"

Bilbo looked downwards. "Gandalf doesn't think there is a company anymore," he said quietly. "He told me to go home, before Thorin discovered what I had done."

Cheyanne bit her lip. Gandalf wasn't wrong; he never was. She reached forward and took Bilbo's face in her hands. "Listen, if things start to go bad, I want you to run."

"Cheyanne-"

"Don't 'Cheyanne' me, cousin," she said sharply, cutting him off. "I'm telling you to run if Thorin starts to get angry. Do you understand me?"

Bilbo stared at her with a look that clearly said he thought she was being ridiculous, but he sighed. "I won't just leave without trying first, Chey," he said quietly. "I couldn't."She let out a breath and dropped her hands. Bilbo lifted his own and lifted her head. "If things start to get ugly, I'll do my best to leave. Is that enough for you?"

She closed her eyes. "I want things to go back to how they were before Mirkwood," she told him. "Everything was just fine in Beorn's house; what changed, Bilbo?"

Her cousin shook his head. "I don't know," he sighed, "but we won't let them fight without a fight of our own." He pressed his forehead against hers, eyes trained on the ground. "If Thorin doesn't agree to a trade, I don't-"

He cut off as the door to Thorin's room began to open. Quickly, he stepped away from her and ducked into a side passage.

Cheyanne turned to face Thorin. He was gazing at her in worry, and when he reached her, he took her face in his hands. "What's wrong?"

Cheyanne frowned. "Nothing? I'm fine." She gave him a look. "What, just because I get up means something is wrong?"

Thorin stared at her a moment longer before he slowly lowered his hands, releasing her face. "I'm sorry, _'ibin_," he sighed. "You worried me, that's all."

"I'm here," she assured him, "and I'm alright. Well, aside for the fact that we're about to go to war."

"Not war," Thorin corrected. "Just a short battle to remind the rabble on our doorstep who the higher power is in these lands."

"Even though the higher power is thirteen dwarves?"

"Yes," Thorin answered. "If we show them they will not best us, perhaps they will realize it is a waste of time."

"Or perhaps they will see how stubborn you are."

Thorin chuckled. Cheyanne forced a grin as well; she hadn't been joking. "You shouldn't think that way, Cheyanne," he told her, beginning to walk by. "Don't underestimate us dwarves; we always have a backup plan in case the original fails."

She hurried after him, and tugged on his arm. "Why?" Thorin stopped and looked at her in confusion. "Why are you doing this? Look at yourself, Thorin. Is _this_ really what Thorin Oakenshield would have chosen to do to handle the situation?"

Thorin let out a breath and met her eyes. "Cheyanne, I understand that you want me to still be Thorin Oakenshield, but I can't. Not anymore. I'm King Under the Mountain, and I have to act as a King Under the Mountain would," he told her gently.

Cheyanne glared at him. "Why does that King have to be your grandfather?"

Thorin's eyes immediately hardened when she said this, and he pulled his arm from her hand. "Do not speak to me about this right now," he growled. "We have an army of Elves to deal with."

He stalked away from her without another word, and Cheyanne stomped her foot angrily. "Stubborn dwarf," she muttered under her breath when he was out of earshot.

Bilbo stepped timidly out of the shadows and joined her, gazing down the passage. "Well," he began, "that was useless."

"Thanks for pointing that out, coz," Cheyanne said in annoyance. "I wouldn't have realized it otherwise."

Bilbo remained quiet for a long moment before he silently took her hand in his. "I'm not going to let him do this to us, Chey," he told her, and strange tone of firmness in his voice. "Thorin must realize there is too much at stake for him to be this foolish."

"I don't think that matters to him," Cheyanne responded with a sad shake of her head. "He... He's set on keeping his gold. That's all he cares about now."

"I know you don't believe that," Bilbo whispered.

"What else can I think, Bilbo?" she asked. "There's nothing else that matters to him. You were the first one to realize it, and I was stupid for thinking I could stop him."

Bilbo rested his chin against the top of her head. "Cheyanne? I know you told me that you didn't love him, but I don't believe that," he said gently. Cheyanne started to protest, but he went on over her voice. "I've... I've been watching you two the whole journey, and... It's impossible for me to think you don't feel something for him."

Cheyanne shook her head and pulled away from him. "Stop, Bilbo. Please. You're not making this any easier for me."

"See, you know it," Bilbo exclaimed. "I told you."

"Stop." Cheyanne backed away from him even further, refusing to hear him. It was only making this worse. "Just stop. I can't talk about this right now. We need to go."

"Cheyanne-"

She turned and walked away from him down the passage. What did Bilbo think he was doing? Didn't he realize it was awful to be talking about this, especially right now? She didn't want to think about everything she had felt for Thorin along the journey when she didn't have any idea what would be happening to him that day. She didn't... She didn't want to consider the fact that Bilbo might be right.

She slowly stopped walking and allowed herself to sink to the floor. She drew her knees to her chest and put her head down on her arms. This was not something she wanted to be thinking about, especially right now. Cheyanne could barely think straight as it was; Bilbo had only brought up thoughts that were making it worse.

She lifted her head when she heard footsteps and found Fili approaching her slowly. "Chey, what's the matter?" he asked her, eyebrows drawing together. She shook her head, and Fili sighed. He squatted down before her and lifted her head with his hand. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I can't just leave you here with tears in your eyes."

Cheyanne looked away. "I can't do this," she whispered. "I can't see you all risk your lives for a stupid treasure!"

"Chey, listen to me very carefully," Fili said, turning her head back in his direction. "I am not fighting for a treasure. I'm fighting for this mountain, for my home. All of us are."

"The Elves and the Lakemen aren't trying to take your mountain," Cheyanne told him. "So why are you fighting?" She knew by his face that he didn't have an answer, and she met his gaze. "Don't tell me that you aren't fighting for a treasure when the people you're fighting against are."

Cheyanne stood up and walked away from the dwarf. She was aware that he followed her, but kept his distance, and did not try to speak with her again. She appreciated it, but she also felt bad. She didn't want there to be sourness between them, especially right then, but she didn't know what to say to him.

She reached the entrance hall where the wall was, and found the dwarves standing around the bottom of the steps, waiting uneasily. They murmured amongst themselves as she walked by, and Dwalin went so far as to reach out and touch her arm. She shook her head and pulled away from him, not wanting to hear anything that he wanted to say about why they were doing this.

Thorin appeared from down a passage, his face hard but otherwise expressionless. Silently, he walked up the stairs to the top of the wall. The dwarves all followed in a single file line and stepped up next to their king at the wall. Cheyanne placed herself at the end, and let out a breath when she saw what was waiting for them.

The army of Elves Thranduil had brought was lined up in front of the broken walkway of Erebor, and they all were holding bows in their hands. They parted down the middle as one as Bard and Thranduil rode to the front lines. Thorin suddenly pulled a bow of his own out of nowhere and shot it at the feet of Thranduil's elk. The Elf and the man looked up in surprise, and Thorin pulled another arrow back in the string.

"I will put the next one between your eyes," he told them.

The dwarves on the wall cheered, and Cheyanne let out a pained breath.

There was a moment while the dwarves quieted, and then Thranduil lifted his hand. Immediately, the Elves behind him lifted their bows and pulled arrows back in the strings, all as one. He dropped his hand slowly, and they slid the arrows away and returned to their original positions. Thranduil looked up at Thorin and said, "We've come to tell you that payment of your debt has been offered, and accepted."

She glanced down the line of dwarves towards Thorin. His eyes gave away his confusion for a brief second before they hardened again. "What payment?" he demanded. "I have given you nothing. You have nothing."

Bard and Thranduil exchanged a glance before Bard looked back up at the company. "We have this," he said, reaching into his coat. He withdrew his hand, and Cheyanne's breath caught in her throat when she saw what he had. The Arkenstone was just how she'd seen it in Bilbo's hand, crystal clear and glimmering like a star.

She pulled her eyes away from the Arkenstone in Bard's fingers and looked at Thorin. His shock was plain on his face, and Kili's was even more noticeable. "They have the Arkenstone," he gasped. "Thieves! How came you by the gem of our house? That stone belongs to the king!"

Bard shrugged. "The king may have it," he said, and he tossed the stone into the air, "on our good will." He caught it and put it back into his jacket. "But first, he must honor his word."

Cheyanne saw Thorin's face go through a series of emotions before it returned to its original form. "They are taking us for fools. This is a ruse." He called down to the opposition: "A filthy lie! The Arkenstone is in this mountain. It is a trick!"

"I-It's not trick." Cheyanne stiffened when she heard Bilbo's voice, and she turned to see him at the top of the stairs. The dwarves all turned as well, and she saw Bilbo swallow. "The stone is real," he said firmly. "I gave it to them."

Thorin approached him slowly. "You."

"I took it as my fourteenth share," Bilbo told him as confirmation.

"You would steal from me?" Thorin demanded, his voice low and dangerous. Cheyanne wanted to reach forward and pull her cousin away from the dwarf, but she didn't dare. Bilbo had made his decision.

"Steal from you?" Bilbo asked him. "No. No, I might be a burglar, but I'd like to think I'm an honest one." He met Thorin's gaze calmly. "I'm willing to let it stand against my claim."

"Against your claim?" Thorin chuckled. "Your claim. You have no claim on me, you miserable rat!"

Bilbo didn't even flinch against his obvious anger. "I was going to give it to you. Many times I wanted to, but-"

"But what, thief?" Thorin questioned sourly.

Bilbo glanced over at Cheyanne, and she shook her head slightly, looking over at the wall, trying to tell him to run. Instead, Bilbo turned back to Thorin and said, "You are changed, Thorin. The dwarf I met in Bag-End would have never gone back on his word." He nodded to the other dwarves standing behind Thorin. "Never would have doubted the loyalty of his kin."

"Do not speak to me of loyalty," Thorin growled. "Throw him from the ramparts!"

Cheyanne's heart stopped, but none of the dwarves moved to follow Thorin's command. The dwarf realized this, and he reached over to pull on oldest nephew. "Did you not hear me?" Fili shoved him away angrily, and Thorin glared at the company before he turned back to Bilbo. "I will do it myself!" He grabbed the hobbit and moved to the wall, shouting curses all the while.

Cheyanne ran forward, and, along with the others, tried to pull Thorin off of Bilbo. "Curse the wizard that forced you on this company!" the dwarf yelled above the shouts of the others, pressing Bilbo against the top of the wall.

Cheyanne was about to jump onto Thorin's back and yank him backwards when there was a loud, booming voice from the army below. "If you do not like my burglar-" Gandalf appeared from the midst of the Elves, voice returning back to normal. "- then please, don't damage him, return him to me!"

Thorin eyes narrowed when he saw the wizard, and he dropped Bilbo like he was a sack of flour. Bilbo was ushered away from him by the dwarves and towards the wall at the end. "Go!" Bofur whispered to him before turning back to the army below.

Bilbo grabbed Cheyanne's arm. "Come with me, please," he whispered to her.

Cheyanne shook her head and tossed a rope over the wall. "Go."

Bilbo gave her forlorn look before he climbed over the wall and started down the mountain. Cheyanne watched him go before she went back to the wall and looked down at Gandalf. The wizard was gazing up at Thorin in disappointment. "You're not making a very splendid figure as King Under the Mountain, are you, Thorin son of Thrain?"

"Never again will I have dealings with wizards or Shire rats!" Thorin shouted down at him.

"If that is how you feel, then you'd best return my other hobbit as well."

Cheyanne froze. The dwarves turned to look at her, and she met Thorin's eyes for a long moment. "What is he saying?" he asked her under his breath.

She felt tears rise to her eyes, and she bowed her head. "I knew. The whole time, I knew he had the Arkenstone," she whispered hoarsely, almost unable to speak. "I distracted you last night so that Bilbo could bring it to Dale." She lifted her head and saw the look in Thorin's eyes. She grimaced. "I wanted to help you. That's all I've ever wanted, Thorin. Please."

Thorin's hand tightened into a fist, and he looked away from her without saying anything. Instead, he called down to Gandalf, "She will stay here with me. She has made her choice."

Cheyanne didn't know whether to relax or flinch at his words.

Gandalf didn't say anything in response, and instead she heard Bard's voice. "Are we resolved? The return of the Arkenstone for what was promised?" There was a pause as Thorin contemplated this. "Give us your answer!" Bard called. "Will you have peace, or war?"

Suddenly, there was a squawk, and a raven landed on the wall in front of Thorin. There was the sound of rumbling from the East, and everyone on the wall turned to look. Thorin grinned. "I will have war."

Over a hill in the distance came a dark mass. Cheyanne narrowed her eyes, squinting to see what it was. She saw after a moment it was dwarves, and her eyes widened. "Iron-foot," she realized. The raven. It all made sense now.

The dwarves of the Iron Hills marched towards the army of Elves, and Thranduil called out a shout in Sindarin. The army turned as one and lined up, facing the oncoming army of dwarves. Cheyanne saw a dwarf riding in front of the others, on the back of a pig. "Dain."

"G'morning!" Dain called, loud enough for everyone to hear. He pulled his pig to a halt, and the dwarves behind him stopped as well. "How are we all?" No one below answered. "I have a wee proposition, if ya wouldn't mind givin' me a few moments of your time. Would ya consider… Just sodding off?! All of you, right now!"

Cheyanne shook her head. Dwarves.

"Come now, Lord Dain!" Gandalf had moved to the front of the line of Elves to speak with the dwarf.

"Gandalf the Gray. Tell this rabble to leave or I'll water the ground with their blood."

"There is no need for war between Elves, dwarves and men," Gandalf yelled. "An army of Orcs is on the march to the mountain." Cheyanne blinked. What was he talking about? "Stand your army down!"

"I will not stand down before any Elf, especially not this woodland sprite!" Dain responded, gesturing towards Thranduil with his hammer. "He wishes nothing but ill on my people. If he chooses to stand between me and my kin, I'll split his pretty head open!" The dwarves on the wall cheered. "We'll see if he's still smirking then!"

Thranduil's voice rose above the call of dwarves. "He's clearly mad, like his cousin."

That was too much for Dain. He wheeled his pig around, shouting, "You hear that, lads? We're on! Let's give these bastards a good hammering!"

The dwarves from the Iron Hills started to march down the hill towards the Elves, and Kili grew restless. He turned to face the others. "I'm going over the wall! Who's coming with me?"

The company started to cheer their agreements, and Thorin turned away from the wall. "Stand down," he ordered under his breath.

"What?" Kili demanded. "Are we to do nothing?"

"I said, stand down!" Thorin shouted, more firmly this time. He walked down the stairs and disappeared into a passage. The dwarves all exchanged a look of concern and shock at their king's choice. Cheyanne let out a breath and bowed her head.

"I can't believe this," Fili exclaimed, throwing down his sword. "Thorin would never do this! What has gotten into him?"

"Dragon sickness," Balin responded. The dwarves turned to look at him, and he shook his head. "We all know it's true. His grandfather had it, and now Thorin does. He will do anything to make sure nothing happens to his gold, and he will not move from this mountain while the treasure is here."

There was a rumble from outside the mountain, and Cheyanne hurried to the wall. She saw the hills in the distance shake, and giant holes burst in the sides. The dwarves joined her at the wall, and Balin murmured, "Were-worms."

The ugly worm things crawled back into the hills, and from the holes they had created marched out an army of Orcs, just like Gandalf had said. Cheyanne let out a gasp. "Maybe the Elves were the last thing we needed to worry about," she whispered to the others.

* * *

**~ Gaming and Sleep: A Haiku ~**

**I am damn tired**

**Sixteen hours of gaming.**

**Kicked my pale booty.**


	23. BOTFA - Let's Talk About German

**Singing in German? One of the most difficult things you will ever do in your lifetime. **

**I'm serious. In choir, we're singing Richard Wagner's wedding march, or Treulich Gefuhrt for you cool kids, and it's super hard. So my choir teacher was all like, "Channel your inner Arnold Schwarzenegger."**

**Uhm, okay. **

**"GET TO ZE CHOPPA!"**

**Fudge. I'm going to fail my test on Thursday. **

* * *

The dwarves had all retreated to the lower level of the front hall, unable to do anything while Thorin's order remained what it had been. They had all glumly removed their armor and were sitting restlessly, many tapping their feet and some hitting their weapons against the floor.

Cheyanne paced at the foot of the stairs, muttering to herself as she heard blades clashing down below. The Elves had retreated to Dale to fight a second half of an army that had attacked the city. Away to the north was where Azog was, commanding the army with giant flags.

Cheyanne was half-tempted to climb over the wall and go tear them down; they were the signals that told his army what to do and when.

Dwalin joined her at the bottom of the stairs. "I don't know why we didn't all try to stop Thorin," he told her softly, "and I respect you for trying."

"It's too late, isn't it, Dwalin?" she asked him. "Thorin is lost? There's no… There's no helping him now, is there?"

The dwarf glanced across the front hall to the throne hall, where Thorin had disappeared. Cheyanne wondered what he was doing in there on his own.

"I don't know, lass," Dwalin answered after a moment of looking down it. He turned back to her. "I wish that there was a way to help him, but if _you_ couldn't, I don't know who can."

"Why do you act like I'm the only one who could have saved him?" Cheyanne asked. "I not a close friend or a nephew of his; I'm just some hobbit he met in the Shire a half a year ago whom he didn't like or trust at first. I don't understand why you believe I could have helped bring him back from this insanity."

Dwalin let out a breath. "I had forgotten you don't know much about dwarven customs," he murmured. "Thorin must have, too."

Cheyanne frowned. "What are you talking about, Dwalin?"

"Lass, when a dwarf wants to court someone, they often give them something made especially for them, that they craft themselves. When Thorin gave you that cuff, and you let him braid your hair, that was you accepting his courting proposal." Dwalin told her.

Cheyanne reached up and touched the bead that hung from the end of her braid. "But - He said he found this with the treasure…"

Dwalin shook his head. "He was up in the forge crafting that for you a few nights ago." Cheyanne's eyes widened, and the dwarf gave her a small smile. "He wants you to be his queen, lass."

Cheyanne took a step backwards in shock, this new information hitting her like a sack of bricks. "He… He wants me to be his queen? As in he wants to marry _me_? I don't - I can't… Dwalin, I'm a _hobbit_!"

"Lass, Thorin knows that," Dwalin told her. "He's cared about you since the goblin tunnels. I think he loves you, and knowing that you betrayed him… It must have sent him over the edge."

"So it's my fault we're not out there fighting right now, is that what you're telling me?" Cheyanne asked him.

"No!" Dwalin exclaimed. He let out a breath and took her shoulders in his big hands. "Listen to me; I know that you don't think there's anything for us to do, but I don't want to give up just yet. I'm going to go talk to Thorin."

"What do you want me to do?" Cheyanne questioned after gazing up at him for a long moment.

"I want you to wait for me in the shadows. You'll know when I want you to come out, I guarantee it," Dwalin told her.

Cheyanne nodded, and Dwalin pressed his hand to her cheek for a moment before turning and going around the hall to the passage to the throne hall. Cheyanne followed a short distance behind, and waited at the end of the path leading to the throne when they had climbed their way up the stairs. She saw Thorin was sitting on the throne, glaring down at the floor.

Dwalin walked towards him slowly. "Thorin, they're dying out there," he told him, his voice firm.

Thorin didn't look at him. Instead, he raised his head and gazed around the throne hall. "There are halls beneath halls within this mountain," he mused under his breath, just loud enough for Cheyanne to hear. "Places we can fortify, shore up, make safe… Yes, that's it!" He stood and pointed at Dwalin. "We must move the gold further underground."

"Did you not hear me?" Dwalin demanded. Thorin looked at him in surprise. "Dain is surrounded. They are being slaughtered, Thorin."

Thorin gazed at him. "Many die in war. Life is cheap. But a treasure such as this… Cannot be counted in lives lost. It is worth all the blood we can spend."

Cheyanne bowed her head. This wasn't Thorin at all. He really was lost.

Dwalin looked at him for a long moment. Cheyanne couldn't see his face, but by his voice, she could tell he was disappointed in him. "You sit here in these accursed halls with a crown upon your head, but you are lesser now than you have ever been."

"Do not speak to me as if I were some lowly dwarf lord. As if I were still… Thorin Oakenshield." He turned away from Dwalin and then spun back around, wielding a sword. "I am your king!"

"You were always my king!" Dwalin told him sharply. "You used to know that once." He shook his head. "You cannot see what you have become."

Thorin glared at him. "Go. Get out. Before I kill you."

Dwalin didn't bother saying anything else. He turned around and walked away from Thorin, towards the passage Cheyanne was hiding down. She couldn't stand it, and she hurried up the rest of the stairs and started to storm towards the throne.

Dwalin held out his hand and put it against her shoulder to stop her. "Do not go over there," he warned under his breath.

"He has to listen to somebody!" she shouted angrily.

"It's too late, lass," Dwalin told her. "It is much too late."

Cheyanne refused to believe that. She shoved him out of the way and stalked down the walkway to the throne. "Who are you?!" she demanded of Thorin as she approached.

He looked up in shock at her voice, and she stopped just in front of the throne, putting her hands on her hips and planting her feet. "Who. Are you?" she repeated darkly.

"I am the King Under the Mountain," answered Thorin, voice barely there.

"You are not a king," Cheyanne growled. "You are nothing but filth. It makes me sick just to look at you." Thorin didn't even try to fight back. She went up the stairs leading to the throne and pushed him backwards into it. "There, you have your throne. Does this throne make you a king?"

He didn't respond, and she gestured around the hall with her arm. "Does this mountain make you a king?" She pointed towards the stairs at the end of the hall that led to the gates. "Does the Arkenstone make you a king?" Thorin shifted his eyes downwards, and she grabbed the front of his shirt. "Does the _treasure_ make you a king?" she hissed into his face.

Thorin still had nothing to say, and she snorted, tossing him backwards against the throne. "I told you before that a jewel did not make you a king. A treasure does not make you a king, either. The only thing that makes you a king is the way you act. And at the moment, you are acting like a useless sack of-" She cut herself off before she said the insult that was boiling on her tongue. "Thorin, I-I was willing to follow you to the ends of Middle-Earth a month ago. Now I'm not even willing to follow you deeper into a mountain. Why do you think that is?"

Thorin stood and walked past her without saying a word, and she watched him walk away for a second before she said, "I wanted to tell you that I would have accepted your offer." He paused briefly hearing this, and she looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry- I would have accepted Thorin Oakenshield's offer. But… Apparently he's no longer here, so I suppose I can't."

Thorin continued to walk away from her, and he disappeared down the stairs. Cheyanne hung her head once he was gone, and she let out a sob, allowing her composure to crack. There was nothing she could do now. It was out of her hands. It was time for Thorin to fight his own battle, if he could.

She walked away from the throne and down the stairs leading to the doors of Erebor. Dwalin was standing at the bottom, his eyes huge. "I can't believe you did that," he said, taking her by the arms.

Cheyanne let out a dry laugh through her tears. "I didn't do anything." She walked away from him, right into Fili's waiting arms. He pulled her to him tightly, and immediately, all of the other dwarves were surrounding them in a giant hug, Cheyanne right in the middle.

She cried into Fili's chest, unable to function long enough to do anything else, and the dwarves merely hugged her between them. When she was able to speak through her tears, she said, "I-I have failed all of you."

"No," Balin murmured. He was closest to her aside from Fili. "You did what none of us had the will to do."

Cheyanne wiped at her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. She let out a weak laugh. "I still failed, even if I tried. It didn't work, and so… I have failed."

The dwarves were silent in response to that, and slowly, one by one, the stepped away from the hug, until at last she was left with Fili. He released her slowly, and brushed a tear off of her cheek with a thumb. "You cannot blame yourself for Thorin's choices, Chey."

"He isn't Thorin anymore, Fili," she whispered, pulling away. "He is not your uncle."

Fili gave her a look as she turned and walked away from him, around the hall towards the stairs that lead to the top of the wall. When she reached them, she gazed down at the Iron Hills dwarves. They had backed against the mountain, their strength wavering as Orc onslaughts came at them each time they killed the one before.

Beyond that, the city of the Dale was crawling with black and gold. Gold of the Elves, and black of the Orcs. The black greatly outnumbered the gold.

Cheyanne let out a breath and turned away from the wall. The dwarves were all looking up at her, like they were waiting. She frowned. "What?"

"You were to be our queen," Gloin muttered under his breath. "That means you would have been in command should the king been unable to fulfill his duties."

Cheyanne shook her head. "I'm not your queen."

"You were going to be," said Dwalin. He lowered himself to one knee and looked up at her. "That's good enough for me."

"And me," Fili agreed, doing the same. One by one, the reset of the company fell to one knee and lifted their eyes up to Cheyanne. She gaped at them, unable to do anything but that.

"What would you have us to do, Queen Under the Mountain?" Kili asked her.

Cheyanne let out a breath and bowed her head. "I would have you listen to your king," she answered quietly, before she raised her head again. "I am in no position to give you orders. Perhaps, one day, I will be, but until then, you must follow Thorin."

Silently, the dwarves all rose back up to standing positions, and they nodded to her as one. She nodded back, and walked down the stairs with a sigh. Dwalin met her at the bottom and gave her a look. "I don't understand."

"Why I didn't ask you to attack?" she questioned. He nodded, and she lifted her shoulder. "It is like I said: I'm not your queen."

She walked away from him and sat down on a stone without saying anything more. The company sat in silence for several minutes, no one wanting to say what was on their mind. After a long time, ages, it seemed, there was a noise from the other side of the hall.

Cheyanne lifted her head and her eyes widened. Thorin was approaching them, backed by a golden light. He looked… Godly, almost. Seeing his uncle must have brought Kili's rage to a boiling point. Before Cheyanne could do anything, the young dwarf stood and stormed over to him, shouting, "I will not hide behind a wall of stone while others fight our battles for us!" He reached his uncle and gazed at him straight on. "It is not in my blood, Thorin."

"No, it is not," Thorin agreed firmly. He reached forward and put his hand on Kili's shoulder. "We are sons of Durin, and Durin's folk do not fade from a fight." Cheyanne covered her mouth with her hand to keep a sob from escaping. Was she actually hearing this? Had he come back?

He and Kili rested their foreheads together for a brief moment before Thorin walked by him towards the others. He gazed at each company member in turn as he said, "I do not have the right to ask this of any of you-" He stopped walking in the midst of the circle they had scattered themselves in and looked around at them all. "- but will you follow me, one last time?"

The dwarves didn't need to be asked twice. They all lifted their weapons in agreement, and Thorin smiled at this. He looked past them all at the wall. "Tear that down. We have a battle to join."

The dwarves immediately set to work, and Cheyanne moved out of the way so she wouldn't bother them. Thorin approached her, eyes soft, and she gazed up at him as he reached her.

"This is going to be the last thing you want to hear-" he started, but she cut him off with a quick shake of her head.

"I'm not staying in the mountain."

"Chey-"

"No." She met his gaze straight on, and she realized that his eyes were clear, clearer than they had been since they had made it into the mountain. Cheyanne's cheek twitched as she started to grin, realizing Thorin had won his battle. "I said I would follow you to the ends of Middle-Earth. That's what I'm going to do."

Thorin must have been able to tell there was no arguing with her, because he didn't try. Instead, he looked down at her, and his eyebrows drew together. "Did you get shorter?" he asked her in confusion.

Cheyanne let out a small laugh. "I think you grew."

Her heart racing, she realized that it was time. She leaned up on her toes and threw her arms around his neck. There was a moment where she just gazed into his clear blue eyes and saw her reflection in them, relishing that she could do just that.

Cheyanne didn't want to wait any longer. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Thorin's. The warmth of his mouth against hers was enough to give her chills, and she fell against him. Thorin wrapped strong arms around her to keep her from falling straight to the ground, not that she would have. She didn't want to leave this position ever.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat, and Cheyanne had to pull away from him, even though she didn't want to. Dwalin was standing off to the side, grinning. "Are we ready?" he questioned with a chuckle.

Cheyanne turned back to Thorin and gazed at him for a long moment. "Do us both a favor," she whispered as her nose bumped against his, "try not to get killed."

Thorin moved his lips to her forehead. "I will do my best for you, _ê 'ibin._" He allowed her to fall back to her normal height and cradled her face in his hands as Bombur blew into a warhammer from the top of the wall. "Do not forget what you told me earlier," he said softly. "I will be holding you to your word."

Cheyanne nodded once, and Thorin moved away from her to join the others. She watched as a golden bell they had raised up on pulleys and ropes pulled back and slammed into the stone wall, immediately knocking it into rubble. All of them ran through as one, Thorin in the lead.

Cheyanne started to hurry after them, but stopped when she realized she didn't have a weapon, nor did she have any idea as to how she was supposed to kill an Orc. Even if she had done it before, it had been one at a time, and not an army.

"Well, I need a weapon first," she decided, glancing around. "We will take it from there once I have one."

She started to walk away from the destroyed wall, and stopped when she noticed something black in the rubble. She went over to it and pulled it free, and found herself holding the bow Thorin had wielded against Thranduil before all of this began.

She glanced up towards where the Orc and dwarves were battling just outside the mountain, and then her eyes drifted towards Ravenhill. Towards Azog.

"I think I have a plan now," she murmured under her breath before she turned and hurried towards the armory to find some arrows. "Though, I don't know how well this will work, considering I've only trained with a bow for a span of an hour in my life."

* * *

**Oh yeah. I forgot that kiss was in this chapter. **

**Well.**

**Hurrah! Thoranne lives on!**

**Now I have to go memorize music. **

**... Duftender Raum, zur Liebe geschmuckt.**

**Lovely language, isn't it?**


	24. BOTFA - Gary's Rewritten Battle

**Well. It's getting to that point, folks. **

**The point in which the story is over. **

**We have like... Three or so chapters after this one, but then... It's over. That's it. **

**Let's make these last few chapters good ones. **

* * *

Cheyanne reached the battlefield and looked around for a way to get to Ravenhill quicker than just by running. Before she spotted anything, she was knocked off of her feet to the ground with a grunt of surprise. Quickly, she jumped back up and pulled an arrow back in the string of the bow she was holding.

"Show yourself!" she commanded no one in specific.

"Cheyanne!" Bilbo appeared out of nowhere, literally, and waved his hands. He was holding something gold in one, and she let out a breath.

"What in Nessa's name are you doing?" she demanded, lowering her bow.

"I have to get to Thorin and the others," Bilbo told her. "I have to warn them."

"What are you talking about? Where are they?" Bilbo's eyes looked past her, and she turned, choking on her breath when she saw Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Thorin riding towards Ravenhill on the back of long-horn sheep. "What are they doing?" she hissed under her breath.

"They're going to go take out Azog," Bilbo explained quickly, "but Bolg is leading another army of Orcs from Gundabad to Ravenhill. It's a trap."

"Thorin…" Cheyanne breathed. She shook her head and turned to Bilbo. "Let's go, and fast."

"I-" Bilbo cut off and shook his head. "Get to them, quickly." He started to turn away, and she grabbed the back of his coat.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"I'll explain when we have more time, I promise," he responded. "Now go!"

Cheyanne nodded once and turned, beginning to run towards Ravenhill. She dodged beneath dwarf fighting Orc, at one point passing Bombur swinging an axe through four Orcs at once. She shook her head as blood was spattered onto her face and continued running.

It took what felt like an age to reach the foot of Ravenhill, and by the time she did, she was out of breath. She sucked in some air and looked up at the hill, wondering how she was supposed to climb up it. Determined, she slung her bow over the sheath of arrows on her back and placed one bare foot on a rock jutting out of the hill.

One rock at a time, she started her way up, chanting the name of each company member in her mind as she did so. She also chanted the names of those back in the Shire, including her friend Jon's name. She added her parents to the list, and Gandalf as well. There was no reason to not include Thranduil and Bard, either.

She reached the top of the hill and found herself standing in a ruin of sorts. She didn't know where she was exactly, but she noticed movement outside of the ruin she was in. Quickly, she scurried to the window and found herself gazing upwards at another ruin. She spotted Fili walk by a window on it, and she sucked in a breath as an Orc snuck after him.

Quickly, she pulled an arrow and aimed, just as the Orc lifted his sword to attack Fili. She released a puff of air and sent up a pray to the Valar. "Let this work," she whispered, and then released the arrow. It didn't hit the Orc, but it did hit the wall behind him, which caused him to turn away from Fili.

Fili, who must have heard the sound, whipped around and saw the Orc behind him. Without hesitation, he stuck a knife through its throat and pulled it back out. The Orc disappeared from view, and Cheyanne let out a relieved breath.

Fili looked out the window, and Cheyanne waved a hand at him. The dwarf grinned and nodded gratefully to her.

There was a noise from somewhere above her, and Cheyanne turned and headed up the stairs behind her up to the next level. As she did so, she found herself walking out onto a balcony of sorts. Thorin was there, along with Dwalin, and just as she stepped out, so did Bilbo who, again, appeared out of nowhere.

"Thorin!" he gasped.

The dwarf turned, and his eyes widened when he saw them both. "What are you two doing here?" he exclaimed, walking forward and putting his hand on the back of Cheyanne's neck.

"There is a second army of Orcs coming from the north," Bilbo told him before Cheyanne could. "From Gundabad."

"The filth!" Dwalin exclaimed. "This has been their plan all along!"

Thorin's eyes widened slightly, and he turned away from Cheyanne towards the tower opposite of him. "Fili and Kili."

"Thorin!" Fili ran up to them from another ruin attached to the balcony they were on.

Thorin let out a breath of relief and pulled Fili to him in a hug. "I'm glad you're safe." He released the dwarf. "Where is your brother?"

Cheyanne's eyes immediately turned to the tower. "Why did you leave him?" she asked Fili.

"I- I thought I could face Azog on my own," the dwarf responded. "I sent him to search the lower levels."

Cheyanne turned her gaze downwards slightly and saw Kili standing before a window on a lower floor. His eyes met hers, and she let out a silent sigh relief when he nodded and disappeared. He was returning to them.

There was a shout in Black Speech from higher up on the tower, and Cheyanne pulled an arrow out and back in the string. Azog appeared with several Orcs behind him, and she aimed, ready to let the arrow fly.

Thorin held up his hand. "No," he growled. "He is mine."

As Azog began to speak, Kili ran out of the same ruin Fili had. The two brothers embraced one another tightly, and Cheyanne, who had no idea what the Orc was saying, assumed he was threatening Thorin in some way or another.

That's when she heard the sound of marching.

The company members on the balcony all turned towards the horizon to the north. Over it came the second army of Orcs, all of them shouting something in Black Speech. Azog shouted it back, and then disappeared. Kili started to run back towards the tower, but Fili grabbed the back of his chest plate before he could.

"Don't go back over there," he said. "This is a trap. He wants us to chase him."

Thorin eyed the tower as Dwalin glanced from the army towards him. "What would you have us do, Thorin?"

Cheyanne met Thorin's gaze as he turned back to them all. "I want you to stay here and fight off those Orcs," he answered, pointing towards the oncoming army. He then glanced up at the tower. "I'm going to go and kill Azog."

"No," Cheyanne argued immediately. "Not on your own. I won't allow it."

"Cheyanne, you can't stop me from doing this," Thorin answered. "This is what I must do, and I will do whatever I have to in order to see it done."

"Then at least let me come with you!" she exclaimed.

Thorin shook his head. "I won't risk you."

"Then why do you think _I'm_ going to risk _you_?" she shouted at him. Without another word, she turned and headed for the ruin Kili and Fili had come from. Thorin grabbed her vest and pulled her to a halt. "Let me go!"

"You are going to stay here and fight the army of Orcs," Thorin told her. "That's the end of this discussion."

"Thorin, don't-" She cut off and tried to find words. "Don't make me lose my battle in order to win yours."

She saw understand go across Thorin's face, and he silently placed a kiss on her forehead before he looked at Dwalin. "Make sure she doesn't leave." He let her go and ran away from them towards the tower. Cheyanne watched him go for a few seconds before looking at Dwalin.

The dwarf merely nodded, and she sprinted towards the ruin. Ducking underneath rubble and fallen rock, she worked her way towards the tower Azog had been standing in not a few minutes before. She would be able to help Thorin from up high, shoot arrows at whatever he would be fighting from a higher point of view.

As she raced up the stairs of the tower, she glanced out the windows and saw Thorin standing on an iced-over river, fighting against Orcs that ran at him from everywhere. She also noticed arrows flying into one every so often, and she frowned. Who was that?

She reached the level Azog and his Orcs had been standing on and walked out onto the balcony, pulling out an arrow. She glanced around for the source of the other arrows, and saw the blonde Wood-Elf Legolas standing on top of a statue, shooting the Orcs.

She grinned to herself and took aim. Hers wasn't nearly as good as Legolas's, but she managed to bring down an Orc long enough for Thorin to kill it. He looked up when he realized the arrow had come from a different direction than Legolas's, and he spotted her.

Cheyanne shook her head at him and shot another arrow into an Orc that was running at him from behind. Thorin turned around and finished it off. Cheyanne saw Legolas pause in his shooting of arrows as he turned in a different direction, and she allowed another arrow to fly before following his gaze.

She spotted the redheaded She-Elf Tauriel fighting against an Orc of her own. She wasn't doing to good, either. Legolas didn't like the looks of it. He jumped from the tower onto the back of a giant troll-like thing and rammed it into the statue he'd been standing on.

It fell over onto the other side of the ruin, where Tauriel was fighting, and he ran across it to help her.

Cheyanne turned away from this and continued to take aim and shoot Orcs for Thorin. There weren't nearly as many as there had been before; most of them lay dead on the ice river around him. Thorin killed two Orcs faster than she pulled a new arrow back on her string.

She watched Thorin kill off another Orc as one snuck up behind him. She reached backwards to pull an arrow from her sheath, and grabbed at air. She was out. Panicking, she hurried off of the balcony and started to run down the stairs and out of the tower. She reached the bottom floor just as Thorin shoved the now dead Orc off of him, pulling a sword free from its chest as he did so. He rose to his feet, and Cheyanne let out a relieved sigh.

The sigh was cut short, however, as a heavy weight sent her flying across the river to the other side and into the wall of a ruin there. She heard something crack, and she gasped as she landed on the ice, hard, her bow falling from her hand and skidding away across the river.

She struggled to get back to her feet as Azog approached her, wielding a giant rock on a chain in one hand, and his other arm, a sword sharpened to a deadly point, glistened in the weak sunlight. The Orc stood over her for a moment, and she almost thought she saw pity in his gaze before he started to swing his rock.

Before Cheyanne could do as much as flinch, she heard Thorin shout and Azog growl in annoyance. She saw Thorin standing directly behind Azog as the Orc turned to face him. He swung his boulder, and Thorin dodged out of the way, rolling up to his feet as the rock crashed into the thick ice where he had previously stood.

Cheyanne crawled towards her bow, grunting as she did so. Whatever had happened to her had broken something and it hurt. Really bad. She had to stop every few seconds and get her breath back before she could continue to scoot towards her bow. It seemed like it was eight hundred miles away from her, and she didn't feel herself getting any closer.

She stopped again when she realized she no longer heard Thorin grunting with every dodge, and she looked up to see why he had stopped.

Azog and Thorin were facing one another, Thorin's back to her. Azog's face was wracked with horror as he looked at something beyond Thorin. Cheyanne rolled over to see what it was he was staring at, and found herself watching giant birds fly over Ravenhill towards Erebor.

"The Eagles," she breathed when her eyes focused. She let out a laugh and continued to crawl towards her bow, the knowledge of the Eagles arriving to help giving her more strength. She reached her bow just as she heard Azog growl in rage, and she turned her head in the direction he and Thorin had been. The Orc was gone, and the ice where he had been standing was bobbing back and forth.

Thorin bent down and picked up his sword from the ice. "What did you do?" Cheyanne asked him, her voice hoarse and ragged.

Thorin turned to look at her. "I made him sink," he told her with a smirk.

Cheyanne returned it and reached over to grab her bow. Just as she was about to pick it up, she heard Thorin cry out in pain, and she turned sharply in his direction. Azog rose up from the ice and pushed Thorin onto his back against it, climbing on top of the dwarf. Thorin held up his sword just in time and pushed it between a gap on Azog's blade-arm, holding the sword away from his chest.

Cheyanne grabbed her bow and looked around for an arrow to shoot Azog with. As she rolled over to look in the other direction, something dug into her side, and she let out a gasp. Reaching into the pocket on her vest, she withdrew the crystal Thorin had given her.

Looking at it gave her an idea. She lifted her bow and pulled the crystal back in the string as far as she could from her position on the ground. With a yell, she released the string, and the crystal flew through the air.

It hit Azog on the head, and it seemed to explode when it made impact with the Orc. Azog roared in pain, falling backwards off of Thorin. The dwarf immediately rose and stabbed Azog through the heart. Azog gagged as Orcrist went through his chest, and Thorin rolled him over onto his back.

Cheyanne heard ice crack as Thorin shoved the blade so deeply into Azog it went clear through him and cut into the ice. Azog was dead.

Thorin rose to a standing position, breathing heavily. He gazed down at the Orc for a long moment before he looked up and spotted Cheyanne. She grinned at him. "Guess it's a good thing you wanted to apologize for being awful to me," she saw with a chuckle.

Thorin hurried towards her, limping badly on one foot. He fell to his knees next to her and gingerly rolled her over onto her back. Cheyanne sucked in a sharp inhale of air at the pain, her vision starting to go black from how intense it was. She forced herself to stay awake, however. She had something she needed to say to Thorin.

She gazed up at her king as he prodded at her chest with gentle hands, looking for a cause. "A broken rib," he said after he searched for a moment. "You'll be fine if you don't move for a few days."

"Thorin-" She cut off as he touched the rib, letting out a curse of pain. "Nessa that _hurt!_"

"I'm sorry," Thorin said quietly.

She shook her head and met his gaze. "Thorin, I have something I need to tell you."

"Cheyanne!" Her cousin ran towards them across the ice, slipping and skidding. He sat down next to her and gazed down at her in worry. "Are you alright?" he demanded.

"I'm fine," she answered weakly, not taking her eyes off of Thorin. "Thorin-"

Fili, Kili and Dwalin approached them, and Dwalin squatted down to inspect Thorin's foot. "We need to wrap that."

"Can I tell Thorin what I need to say before I faint, please?" Cheyanne asked, trying to keep a level head, but not achieving her goal. The question came out as more of a command.

Dwalin and the others retreated with mutters, and Cheyanne met Thorin's eyes. "I… I don't know why it took so long for me to realize it," she said quietly, "but I love you, Thorin Oakenshield."

She looked away from him and gazed up at the sky. The Eagles were circling over the battle before Erebor, diving down in pairs every so often. She grinned deliriously to herself as her vision darkened around the edges and then went black completely.

* * *

**See, in _The Hobbit_, as in the book, Bilbo passes out as soon as he sees the Eagles. It happens in the movie, too, I'm pretty sure, so I was like, "Y'know, let's do that to Cheyanne, just not in the same exact way." **

**So, that was that. **

**Uh... Yeah. That was that. **

**I'll see you guys next week. **

**Thank you. **


	25. BOTFA - Waking Up In Middle-earth

**The choir concert made me sad. All of the seniors are leaving, and the choir that I'm a part of may not be a thing next year. It just... Made me wonder what I'm supposed to do if it's not, and I don't get into one of the show choirs. I can't not be in a choir, guys. It's... I'm a part of the choir family. I... I belong in there. **

**I think.**

* * *

"Chey."

She grunted and swatted at whatever was tickling her nose, muttering out a curse. "Go away," she ordered. "I'm sleeping."

"Cheyanne!" The tickling persisted, and she sneezed, her eyes opening. She found Fili grinning down at her, and she frowned in annoyance.

"Go away!" she repeated firmly.

"I was told to wake you, and that's what I'm doing," the dwarf responded. He disappeared, and Cheyanne turned her head to see him sink down into an armchair that was pulled up next to the bed she was laying on.

Blinking, Cheyanne looked around the room they were in, and she let out a sigh when she realized they were in Thorin's bedchambers. "Why am I in here?"

"Dwalin carried you here," Fili answered easily. He kicked his feet up onto the bed and scratched at a bandage on his calf. "With Thorin's permission, of course."

Cheyanne rolled her eyes and struggled to sit up, but hissed in pain. Then she remembered her broken rib. Slowly, she lifted the blanket that was covering her and pulled up the corner of the shirt she was wearing, which was several sizes too big on her. She spotted the white of a bandage, and she groaned.

"So, you're not allowed to move," Fili told her. "I probably should have mentioned that."

"Y'think?" Cheyanne growled, lowering the shirt and moving the blanket back in place. She gazed upwards at the canopy overhead. "Why did you wake me up?"

"Gandalf wanted to talk to you," Fili responded. "I don't know why he isn't here yet, though. Probably stopped to speak with Bilbo. Little fella's still running around in circles, he was so worried about you."

Cheyanne had to smile when she heard that. "Will you go tell him I'm all right, please?" she asked Fili.

The dwarf sighed and leaned his head backwards over the armchair. "What am I, an errand dwarf or a prince?" He sat up and grinned at her once more before standing and walking out of the room.

Cheyanne watched the door, waiting for someone else to come in. Her wish was granted almost immediately, and Gandalf appeared as soon as Fili was gone. "Gandalf," she said with a relieved grin.

The wizard approached the bed and sat down in the armchair, tipping his hat to her as he did so. "Good to see you're awake," he said cheerfully. "You looked rather broken when Dwalin carried you into Erebor."

"I don't exactly feel any better than that," Cheyanne told him, realizing that she was aching all over. She grunted and attempted to sit up again, but could barely move. Sighing, she settled back down and looked at the wizard. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me sit up, would you?"

Gandalf shook his head. "No, you mustn't move at all, or else your rib won't heal properly." He winked at her. "I cast something that should help speed up the healing process, though, so as long as you don't move you should be back on your feet in three days, at the most."

"Three?" Cheyanne exclaimed in disbelief. "I'm going to miss the feasts!"

Gandalf chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think Thorin would let that happen," he told her. "You did save his life, after all."

"How is he?" Cheyanne questioned, remembering his foot.

Gandalf raised his shoulders. "Fine. Worried about you, more than anything, and fretting over whether or not we should move you somewhere closer to everyone else."

Cheyanne smiled and shook her head. "I meant his injury, Gandalf."

"Yes, I know," Gandalf answered. "I gave you a response in my first word. His injury is fine. Azog's blade went clean through his foot, but missed any bone. Thorin is already up walking around."

Cheyanne let out a breath of relief. "Why isn't he-?"

"In here?" She nodded, and Gandalf grinned. "He wanted to be, but Balin has kept our King Under the Mountain busy with preparations of the other dwarves of Erebor coming back to the mountain." Gandalf gave her a look. "And for the wedding that I knew nothing about until this morning."

Cheyanne returned the look. "You didn't know about the wedding because instead of being here in Erebor you were down in Dale!"

Gandalf merely shook his head. "I don't know about a wedding, Cheyanne," he said. "Do you believe you can be a queen?"

Cheyanne gazed at the wizard. "Why? Do you think I can't be?" she queried.

"Not at all," replied Gandalf.

"So why are you asking me?"

Gandalf tilted his head at her. "You're a hobbit. The dwarves of Erebor will be expecting their king to wed a dwarf."

Cheyanne frowned. "Are you suggesting that they'll be disappointed with me?" she asked quietly.

"I certainly hope that's not what he's suggesting." Cheyanne looked past the wizard sitting in the armchair towards the door, and she grinned when she saw Thorin standing there. The dwarf walked into the room, limping slightly, and he gave the wizard a glare. "Cheyanne saved my life. I would hope that my people will be more than willing to accept her as queen once they learn that."

Gandalf dipped his head. "Of course, Thorin. I agree." The wizard stood and looked down at Cheyanne. "I will speak with you later?"

"If you like," Cheyanne replied. The wizard nodded and walked past Thorin and out of the room.

When he was gone, Thorin looked down at Cheyanne. "I'm sorry I was not in here when you awoke," he told her. "I've been busy."

"Gandalf told me," Cheyanne said. "It's all right."

Thorin gave her a small smile and moved the armchair out of the way so he could stand next to the bed. He reached over and stroked her cheek with one hand. "I must… I have to tell you that I love you, too. I didn't have the chance to say it because you fainted before I could."

Cheyanne grinned up at him. "I would hope so, Thorin," she said with a laugh. "Why else would you ask a hobbit to marry you?"

"Well, I could have been afraid no dwarf would want me for a husband," Thorin mused.

Cheyanne scoffed. "You? Please." Thorin lifted an eyebrow, and Cheyanne shook her head. "Thorin, you must know that you're very handsome, and, though you're stubborn, you're also very kind and you genuinely care about your friends and family. You are a king worth following."

Thorin leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. He pulled away a second later, much to Cheyanne's annoyance. "I wish that you could come with me down to the throne room and help me handle all of the plans Balin is coming up with. So many feasts, so little time."

That made her laugh. "I know. I partially wish Fili would have let me sleep through the rest of my bedridden state. Gandalf said I'm going to be stuck here for three days."

Thorin grinned. "Did Gandalf also tell you that you've already been here for two?"

"What?" Cheyanne exclaimed. "Does that mean I can walk tomorrow?"

"Perhaps," Thorin answered. "It would certainly be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Yes," Cheyanne agreed. She twisted uncomfortably. "I used to enjoy laying down, but, now that I think about it, I would rather be standing up."

Thorin brushed a strand of curly hair off of her cheek. "I want to be able to dance with you at our wedding," he said quietly.

"You won't be wishing for that when it's actually happening," warned Cheyanne.

"Why is that?"

"I'm an awful dancer." Thorin smiled, and she gave him a look. "I'm serious. I've never been able to dance. Most hobbits can dance wonderfully, and I was over in the corner at Midsummer's Eve celebrations barely doing anything but tapping my foot."

Thorin didn't stop smiling. Instead, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "Just one dance," he said, "and if it starts terribly, I will let you stand on my feet."

"Even if it hurts?" she asked him.

"Even if it hurts," answered Thorin with a nod.

Cheyanne reached up with the hand he wasn't holding and placed it on the back of his neck. Thorin allowed her to pull him down, and she kissed him solidly for a few seconds. When she broke it off, Thorin rested his forehead against hers. "I have something to give you," he told her. "Don't move."

Cheyanne gave him a subtle glare, and the dwarf chuckled before he walked away and out of the room. Bilbo entered as he left, excitement all over his face.

"Chey!" he said happily.

"Bilbo." Her cousin moved over to the bed and pushed her hair off of her forehead. Cheyanne looked up at him with a half-smile. "How are you?"

"How am I? How are _you_?" Bilbo questioned.

"Well, my chest hurts, and I'm tired of laying down even though I just woke up, but other than that I'm all right."

Bilbo's shoulders dropped and he leaned over, resting his forehead against hers in affection. "I'm glad. I was worried about you, but they made me leave the room because I wouldn't stop jabbering." Cheyanne laughed, and Bilbo straightened up again, eyes sparkling. "I can't believe you're actually going to stay here," he told her with a shake of his head.

Cheyanne's grin slowly disappeared, and she frowned up at him. "Why?" she asked.

Bilbo didn't like the look she had on her face, and he quickly said, "I mean, I don't know. I-I just… You said you weren't in love with him…"

"Bilbo!" Cheyanne whacked him, and he flinched away from her, rubbing his arm.

"What?"

Cheyanne glared at him. "You had me worried that you didn't have faith in me!" she exclaimed.

Bilbo grinned. "Of course I have faith in you, Chey," he said. "I wouldn't have pressed Thorin so hard if I didn't!"

Cheyanne blanched. "You did what?"

Bilbo merely shrugged his shoulders. "Thorin came asking me about you while you were talking with Gandalf about something. He was very interested when I told him what I thought you thought of him, and, with the assistance of a few of the others, I was able to convince him to do what he'd been planning since…" He thought about it for a few moments. "Oh… I don't know. Beorn's house?"

Cheyanne made to hit him again, but Bilbo skipped backwards before she could. "I was helping!" he insisted. "Without my input, I don't think Thorin would have ever acted on his feelings."

"Bilbo, you devious little hobbit!" Cheyanne said with a shake of her head.

"There was nothing devious about I did," Bilbo said firmly. "I was doing what I thought best, and the others agreed."

Cheyanne let out a sigh. "Thank you, I suppose," she mumbled.

"You're very welcome, coz," responded Bilbo.

The door opened behind him, and Thorin entered again, one hand behind his back. Bilbo immediately bowed his head to him. Thorin walked over and put his free hand on the hobbit's shoulder affectionately. "Thank you for making sure she didn't leave, Master Baggins," he said.

Bilbo lifted his head, grinning. "It wasn't easy."

"You both are awful," Cheyanne muttered under her breath.

Dwarf and hobbit exchanged a laugh before Thorin subtly nodded towards the door, asking Bilbo to leave. He winked at Cheyanne before doing so, casting a knowing glance over his shoulder as he exited the room.

Cheyanne turned her attention to Thorin once her cousin was gone. "What do you have hidden?" she queried, eyeing his arm.

Thorin walked closer to the bed and lowered himself so that he was at eye level with her. "There have been moments on the journey when I wondered why I had allowed Gandalf to bring you along," he told her, "and there have been moments when I wondered what I would have done without you."

"Sweet Nessa," Cheyanne said. "You're about to pull a proposal out of your arse, aren't you?"

"Not exactly," replied Thorin. "I've had some time to think about it."

"All right," Cheyanne began, shifting slightly so she could see him better. "Please continue."

Thorin met her eyes, and Cheyanne saw how much he was keeping locked behind them to maintain his composure. "More than once I wanted to apologize for the way I was treating you, especially when I realized just how much you meant to the quest. The first apology wasn't exactly the best, but it was necessary, for it saved my life. You saved my life, in more ways than one."

Cheyanne watched as Thorin pulled his hand out from behind his back. Slowly, he unfolded it and held it up for her too see, though she had an idea as to what it was he was holding before she saw it clearly.

On Thorin's palm rested a small silver-banded ring. The gemstone on it was a crystal, flashing in a rainbow from the light of the fireplace. Around the crystal was a circle of rubies, blood red. Cheyanne could only shake her head as she gazed down at it.

"I wanted to give this to you, before all of this happened. I was going to ask you to stay with me in Erebor, just so I would be sure Bilbo was right before I actually proposed," Thorin said softly. "There were two issues with that plan: I didn't have the chance, and I didn't have the strength to ask you outright, so I… May or may not have given you a courting braid without thinking you might not know what it means." Cheyanne looked up from the ring and met his gaze. "I realize now that I should have asked you first, however, and so, I suppose there's nothing left to do but ask."

Cheyanne waited in anticipation, wanting to grab one of his braids and pull his lips to hers that moment, but she forced herself to stay still.

Thorin bowed his head. "Cheyanne Baggins, you are _ê 'ibin_, and you are the only jewel I will ever need." He lifted his eyes and gazed at her. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my Queen Under the Mountain?"

Cheyanne merely smiled and took the ring from him. She slipped it on the fourth finger of her left hand and admired it for a long moment. "You didn't have to plan that out," she told him. "You do realize that, yes?"

Thorin shook his head. "I wanted some sort of traditional aspect, Cheyanne. Everything else is far from traditional. Can't you give me my proposal without having something to say about it?"

Cheyanne turned and looked at him. "Am I allowed to say yes?"

Thorin grinned and nodded. "More than allowed."

Cheyanne pushed herself upwards with a grunt of pain, wrapping her arms around Thorin's neck to keep her upright. Thorin grabbed her worriedly. "This isn't safe," he said softly as his eyes met hers.

Cheyanne merely rubbed her nose against his. "I never had much concern for my own safety," she mused before covering his protesting mouth with hers. As soon as she tasted Thorin again, upright and happy, she realized just why she hadn't ever worried about her own safety. Thorin was there to protect her, and she would be there to protect him.

Thorin slowly lowered her back down, as though it would keep her from noticing, but Cheyanne was too happy to care. Her king kissed her gently on the tip of her nose. "I will love you forever, _ê 'ibin_," he promised.

"Save it for the vows, dwarf," Cheyanne suggested, eyes closing in sleepy happiness.

* * *

**On a less gloomy note, proposals! I don't think this is how it works for realsies in Middle-earth, but hey, it's not Tolkien who's writing this, it's Gary. **

**Right?**

**...**

**I'm sad. **


	26. BOTFA - Nothing Gold Can Stay

**Ah. **

**Well.**

**Things come and go, y'guys. Nothing gold can stay.**

* * *

Two weeks had passed, and Balin was going insane over the wedding plans. "We need you two to be married before the other dwarves arrive!" he reminded Cheyanne and Thorin every day.

Cheyanne had just about had it with the old dwarf. How much planning needed to go into a small wedding that the company was attending, and no one else? The answer was not a lot. But Balin seemed to believe it needed to be the wedding of the ages.

Bilbo disagreed. Her cousin followed Balin around Erebor, tossing in ideas whenever he could get a word in. Balin didn't want his suggestions, however, and Bilbo came complaining to Cheyanne. "He won't listen to me!"

"I know," she responded. "He barely listens to Thorin and me." Bilbo looked glumly down at the floor of the throne room where they were standing, and Cheyanne reached forward to pat him on the shoulder. "Don't be sad, coz."

"Don't be sad?" exclaimed the hobbit. "Planning parties is one of my hobbies, Chey! That's what I do back home; you should know that."

She did. She knew that Bilbo often had a hand in the celebrations the Baggins family put on each year, though they were nowhere close to the ones that The Old Took threw before his death. Cheyanne couldn't remember them too well, but she knew that Gandalf always made an appearance to display his fireworks. Those were what really made the party. The Baggins parties had never had fireworks, even when Cheyanne had begged the wizard to attend them.

"Cheyanne!" It was Balin. Again.

Cheyanne let out a sigh in synch with Bilbo. She gave him a look before she walked past him in the direction the old dwarf's voice had come from. It had echoed up the stairs leading to the throne, and she cautiously worked her way down them, still fearing for her rib.

It had stopped hurting earlier that week, but she was afraid the slightest wrong movement would break it again. That made her take every step, every stair, slower than she would have before the injury. It drove Bilbo insane when he was walking with her, but everyone else was willing to go slow.

Balin was waiting before the archway leading to the main hall of Erebor, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently. He was holding a scroll and a quill in his hands, which were spotted with ink. He'd been busy writing something. He gave her a look as she approached.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"Spending time with my cousin," Cheyanne replied with a silent sigh of annoyance. "What could you possibly want now, Balin?"

"I need you to go to Dale tomorrow," he answered, scratching something off of the parchment with his quill. "That's an order, by the way. You can take who you like, but you must go."

"What in Nessa's name could be in Dale?" Cheyanne asked him.

"Something that Thorin doesn't want you to know about," Balin answered.

"Oh, so this is Thorin's order, then?"

"Yes, it is." She heard her king's voice come from behind Balin, and she pushed past the dwarf towards his waiting arms. Thorin pulled her closer to him and gazed down at her with laughter in his eyes. "It's important."

"Is it?" He nodded, and she _hmphed_. "Can I take you with me?"

"No." It was Balin who answered this question. He approached them, and Cheyanne rolled her eyes as he said, "Thorin is the only one whom you cannot bring."

Cheyanne let out a noise of disappointment, and Thorin chuckled, brushing back some of the curls on her forehead. "I would go with you if I could, but Balin is right," he told her.

"Dwalin, then?" she queried after a moment.

"If you like," he replied.

"All right," she sighed unhappily.

"Hey, is there a problem with bringing me?" Dwalin demanded, appearing from down a set of stairs leading to the living quarters. He gave Cheyanne a look as he walked over to them. "Well?"

"Of course not," she laughed. "I just don't want to pull you away from Thorin unless I have to." She stepped out of Thorin's grasp and gazed at them both. "The way you two have been, you would think you're the ones who should be getting married."

"That's disgusting, lass," Dwalin said, wrinkling his noise. "Thorin is my baby cousin." The older dwarf reached over and shook Thorin's shoulder affectionately. "Besides, I could do better."

"Excuse you!" Cheyanne exclaimed. "I'm getting married to him."

"I know," Dwalin responded. "That's why I said _I_ could do better." Cheyanne scoffed in indignation, and Dwalin grinned. "I'm only kidding, lass. You're lovely, and so is Thorin." He grinned at them both. "You're perfect together."

"Thoranne!" someone cheered from a higher level, and everyone in the main hall laughed. Cheyanne looked up and saw Fili peering over the edge of a bannister on a walkway, grinning widely. "Sorry!" he called. "Pretend I'm not here."

He disappeared, and Cheyanne shook her head, turning her eyes back to everyone on the ground level. Balin huffed. "All right, so, Dwalin and Cheyanne will go to Dale tomorrow." They both nodded, and Balin let out a breath of relief. "Very good." Without another word, he turned and walked off.

When he was gone, Cheyanne fell backwards into Thorin's arms. "Nessa, does he need to take a break."

"Yes he does," Thorin agreed. "He's driving everyone mad, and I believe he's driving himself mad as well." He rotated her around so that she was facing him. "Has he spoken to you about-" She cut him off with a nod.

"The Seven Blessings." Thorin confirmed her words with a nod of his own, and she looked down at the floor. "Yes, he spoke to me about them. I think it's a lovely idea." She lifted her shoulders and dropped them. "I just have to learn Khuzdul."

"Cheyanne, if you don't think you'll be able to do it, then…"

"No, its fine," she said quickly, raising her head again. She gave Thorin a small grin. "I'll figure it out." He didn't look convinced, and so she rose up on her toes and gave him a kiss. Pulling away, she forced another grin. "I will."

"I know you will," he said after gazing at her for a long moment.

"All right, can we stop this now?" Dwalin queried, cutting into their hold. He pushed Thorin backwards away from Cheyanne, glancing over his shoulder at her as he did so. "Gandalf wanted to speak with you. I forgot to tell you before."

She furrowed her brow. "Speak with me about what?"

"I don't know," he responded. "He didn't say."

Cheyanne frowned. "I better go look for him, then." Dwalin nodded, and Thorin watched her as he pulled the king away from her. Cheyanne gave him a small curtsey as he walked away, which brought a smile to Thorin's lips.

Cheyanne waited for them to disappear up a set a stairs before she turned herself and looked around the main hall. "Gandalf?" she asked aloud when she felt a gaze on her back.

She turned when she heard footsteps and saw the wizard appear from down hall. She waited for him to reach her, and Gandalf gazed down at her. "I wanted to speak with you about Bilbo," he said after a moment.

Immediately, Cheyanne frowned again. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing at all," Gandalf responded. "Which makes me worry. I feel as though he should be thinking about returning to the Shire, and yet he hasn't said anything to me about it."

"Maybe he doesn't want to go back," Cheyanne said quickly, beginning to turn her back to him. The wizard took her wrist before she could, and Cheyanne bowed her head. "I don't want him to leave, Gandalf."

"I know you love him, Cheyanne," Gandalf said quietly, "but Bilbo's place is in Bag End, in the Shire." Cheyanne lifted her head, tears stinging her eyes. "You know it's true."

"Gandalf, please," Cheyanne whispered. "Don't take him away from me yet." She looked up at him, trying to hold back tears. "I need him."

"Do you?" Gandalf asked her gently. Cheyanne started to nod, but hesitated. What was the wizard trying to tell her? That needing Bilbo was a sign she shouldn't stay in Erebor? But… She needed Thorin, too.

Maybe it was more of a question about who she needed more.

Cheyanne didn't want to think about it right now. She wanted to be happy; she was getting married soon. There was no reason for her to be second-guessing her decision. So she pulled her wrist from Gandalf's hand and shook her head. "We can talk about this _after_ the wedding. Unless Bilbo brings it up himself, I don't want to hear about it. Do you understand me?"

Gandalf stared at her for a long moment. "Yes," he said at last. "But Cheyanne, he will have to go home soon. He cannot stay here forever." The wizard turned and walked away from her, and Cheyanne watched him go before she let out a sad sigh and sat down where she stood, putting her chin in her hand.

She didn't want Bilbo to leave. He was her cousin, her best friend. She wanted him to stay with her, because if he left, it would be a long time before she would be able to go see him in the Shire. And she didn't want to wake up every morning and not have Bilbo around.

And yet… She knew Gandalf was right, in a way. Bilbo did belong in the Shire. The whole adventure had had him wishing for his fireplace and his armchair. Erebor wasn't his home, Bag End was. And it was horrible to think Bilbo should stay in Erebor just for her when there was so much he was missing back in the Shire.

Besides, if she needed Bilbo around so badly that she was willing to keep him from his home, perhaps she should just forget all about Erebor and Thorin and the company and go with him. She was a hobbit; the Shire was technically her home, too.

Right?

She lifted her head and gazed around the hall. The green marble glinted in the fire from the torches lining the walls, and silence echoed around her. She liked it here, could see herself staying her forever and a day. _Erebor_ was her home, not the Shire. She knew that now, perhaps had known it from the moment she walked the halls once Smaug was no longer a threat.

The only problem was Bilbo. He wasn't in the picture her mind formed of her life with Thorin in Erebor. He simply couldn't stay with her in the dwarven kingdom within the Lonely Mountain. He needed to go home.

It was Bilbo, or where she belonged. She couldn't have both. And if she couldn't have both, there was no reason to keep Bilbo from where _he_ belonged.

Cheyanne let out a breath. She would tell him, she decided. He deserved to go home, and it was her job to tell him that he needed to.

"Cheyanne, what are you doing on the floor?" Bilbo had appeared from the throne hall, and he was giving her a funny look. "Are you all right?"

She swallowed back her tears and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I just…" She let out a breath and stood, walking over to him. She held out her hand, and Bilbo lifted an eyebrow. "Walk with me outside?"

Bilbo gazed at her. "Chey?"

"Please."

Bilbo silently took her hand, and she led him towards the doors of Erebor. The Iron Hills dwarves that Dain had left for Thorin until the dwarves of Erebor returned pulled them open. Cheyanne pulled Bilbo outside. It was chilly, since it was winter, and there was a thin layer of snow on the ground.

She led him away from the main doors and towards the edge of the walkway before them, gazing out towards Dale. "Bilbo," she began quietly, afraid to say it. "I-I think..." She trailed off, unable to continue because the tears had returned. Two trailed down her cheeks and dripped off of her chin to the stone below.

Bilbo worriedly hurried in front of her and took her face in his hands. "Cheyanne, what's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you crying?"

Cheyanne sucked back more tears before they decided to all rain out. She let out a shuddering breath. "It's time for you to go home, Bilbo."

The hobbit gaped at her. "What?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I - What?"

"You don't… You belong in the Shire," Cheyanne said, forcing herself to sound firm. "You need to go home."

"B-But I thought… I was going to stay. For the wedding. I would have gone home after," Bilbo said quickly.

"Bilbo, you know the longer you stay here the harder it's going to be for you to leave."

"Not if the Shire is where I'm supposed to be!" Bilbo exclaimed. She started to shake her head, and he took her chin in his hand, lifting her head so that she was staring into his eyes. "Are you telling me you don't want me here?" he asked her in shock.

"Of course not!" Cheyanne shouted. She could feel more tears coming to her eyes, and she squeezed them shut, telling them to go away. "This is the last thing I want to be doing, but… You have to go, Bilbo. You can't… I can't keep you here anymore."

"You're not," the hobbit swore, "and I know you don't actually think that."

"Yes, I do," Cheyanne replied. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, turning away. "I see now that I'm… I'm making you stay with me. I haven't given you the opporotunity to leave, and you won't until I tell you to go. I know you, Bilbo."

She heard him take in a deep breath. She wondered if he was trying to hold back tears, too. Silently, he joined her near the edge of the walkway. His eyes were downcast, and he was shaking slightly. "At least let me stay until the wedding is over," he said quietly.

"No," Cheyanne whispered. "I won't do this to you anymore. It's time for you to go back to the life you had before all of this happened, Bilbo. The journey is over."

"So what?" he asked, his voice hardening. "You expect me to return to the Shire and forget everything that happened?"

"That's the last thing I want you to do, Bilbo."

"So why are you making me go back?"

Cheyanne looked down at the ground. "I don't _want_ to lose you, Bilbo," she began quietly. "I love you, coz, but I can't… I can't keep you from your home anymore. This journey has turned you into a different hobbit than the one I first met in Bag End, and I don't want it to change you any more than it already has." She lifted her eyes again and looked at Bilbo. He met her gaze, and she let out a sob. "Please, don't look at me like that. This is already hard enough."

The hobbit bowed his head for a long moment. Cheyanne forced herself to watch him, even though doing so made her throat burn with tears. At last, he looked up and met her eyes again. "All right," he managed. "I'll go."

Without another word, he turned and walked away towards Erebor, leaving Cheyanne alone on the walkway. As soon as he was gone, she began to cry openly, her sobs seeming to echo off of the giant stone statues of dwarves guarding the doors of the mountain kingdom.

She cried alone for what felt like a long time, but what couldn't have been more than a few minutes. When there were no tears left to come, she stood and stared out over the valley, cheeks cold from the wind and water mixture, her eyes burning.

That's when she felt strong arms wrap around her, and a familiar scent of pipe-weed filled her nose. She closed her eyes and sank back against Thorin, shaking. "It's all right," he whispered to her soothingly.

"No," she murmured. "It's not."

* * *

**Like Bilbo. Bilbo is gold, and he can't stay. **

**Stay gold, Bilbo-Boy.**


	27. BOTFA - The Almost Last Goodbye

**So, it was the last day of school for me today, so I figured, "Shoot, let's upload the last chapter (excluding the epilogue)." **

**That's what this is. **

**It's been a blast, guys. Really. **

* * *

She spent the most of the day after that searching for Bilbo, but the hobbit had gone missing, or rather, he had hidden himself from her. Cheyanne found herself at one point standing outside the doors to his room, waiting for him. She had no idea what else to do.

At last, however, it seemed she had gotten lucky, because the hobbit appeared, looking down at the floor. He lifted his eyes when he felt hers on him, and he stopped dead, face turning from shock to stone immediately. "What do you want?" he muttered.

Cheyanne leaned against the wall to allow him to pass into his room, but Bilbo remained where he was. She let out a breath. "Bilbo, I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Sorry for what?" he demanded, voice rising. "Sorry for getting rid of me? Oh, I accept your apology, _cousin_." The last word was dripping with poison.

Cheyanne shuddered as it stabbed at her. "Don't… Don't act like that," she managed after a second of regaining her composure. "Just listen to me, for one minute."

"I'm done listening to you, Cheyanne," Bilbo said, voice dry. "You're sending me home, I get it. Now please, leave me alone so that I can pack."

"You are going to listen to what I have to say," she growled, suddenly getting a burst of anger. Bilbo's eyes widened as she stalked over to him and pointed a finger in his face. "You are my best friend, and I know that you're angry with me right now, but I'm asking you to go back to the Shire because you're supposed to be there. That's where you belong, that's your home."

"And this is yours?" he asked her.

"Yes!" Cheyanne exploded, shocking herself. It was?

_Well, all right then. Good for you, Cheyanne._

Bilbo took a small step backwards, but she grabbed the front of his vest before he could move any further and pulled his face down to her level. "Bilbo Baggins, I am going to miss you more than you can imagine. If you think I'm sending you home for my sake, you're wrong. I'm sending you home for yours."

Bilbo tried to keep his face hard, but she saw that he was struggling. After a long moment of glares, his eyes softened and he let out a breath, bowing his head. This brought their foreheads together, and Bilbo didn't move away. "I'm going to miss you too, coz."

Cheyanne let go of his vest and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Bilbo returned it, his breathing heavy. He was very close to tears. "We'll keep in touch," she told him before he could start crying. "And I'll figure out some way of visiting at least once every two years or so, I promise."

"And when you don't visit I will," Bilbo added. "Maybe Gandalf will travel with me, if I can find him before I leave the Shire."

"Maybe he will," agreed Cheyanne. She pressed her face into Bilbo's shoulder. "I'm sorry I was so hard about it earlier, Bilbo," she whispered. "I just… I didn't know if there was any other way you would listen to me."

He shook his head. "I understand, Chey," he told her. "I do. I just… I wish, in a way, you had been wrong about me belonging in the Shire."

"I know," she said, "but you do."

"Yes," he answered. "I do."

That night, there was a feast for Bilbo, since he would leaving in the morning. Cheyanne sat next to him throughout the meal, while the dwarves spent more of their meal getting drunk. Cheyanne knew that there was no way they would be awake the next morning to see the hobbit off, and she whispered as much to her cousin.

Bilbo nodded in agreement and stood, knocking his spoon against his goblet. "Can I have everyone's attention, please?" he asked them all. The company all turned their eyes to him, quieting down almost at once. "Thank you. I just wanted to say my goodbyes now, since I doubt any of you will be conscious tomorrow." This received scattered laughter, and the hobbit smiled. "So... If any of you are ever around Bag End, uhm, tea is at four, but you are welcome at any time." He paused and then chuckled to himself. "Don't bother knocking."

More laughter, all together this time. Bilbo waited for everyone to settle down again before he continued "Thank you, all of you, for taking me out of the Shire and showing me what the world looked like." He lifted his mug. "To adventures!"

"To adventures!" The call rose up along with the sound of clanging mugs as the dwarves all toasted. Bilbo settled down and looked at her before he took her hand and nodded.

She winked back and lifted her own mug to him before taking a drink. Thorin sat down in the vacant chair to her left, and she adjusted herself so that she could lean her back against him. He turned so that she was against his chest, and not his shoulder.

Bilbo grinned at them. "I'll miss Thoranne," he said above the off-key singing of the dwarves that had suddenly begun. "I'll miss teasing you about Thoranne."

Cheyanne returned the smile and let out a laugh. "I'll miss your teasing, believe it or not."

Bilbo simply nodded, and Cheyanne focused her attention on the song the dwarves were singing as it slowly started to drift into key. When she heard the words, she felt an odd sensation go through her. She knew this song, but… How could she? She'd never heard it before, right?

Bilbo seemed to know it too, however. His brows drew together, and he let out a small gasp of realization. "The last goodbye," he murmured to himself.

Slowly, he rose from his chair and started to sing it himself. The dwarves, hearing their song being sung perfectly, quieted down and looked at him. The hobbit walked around the table, lost in his own little word.

_"I saw the light fade from the sky. _

_On the wind I heard a sigh. _

_As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers _

_I will say this last goodbye." _

The dwarves contented themselves to humming, wanting to add onto the song that Bilbo was singing so well on his own. Cheyanne longed to join him, but this was his song, not hers.

_"Night is now falling_

_So ends this day. _

_The road is now calling _

_And I must away. _

_Over hill, and under tree _

_Through lands where never light has shone. _

_By silver streams that run down to the sea. _

_Under cloud, beneath the stars_

_Over snow one winter's morn. _

_I turn at last to paths that lead home. _

_And oh where the road then takes me_

_I cannot tell. _

_We came at this way, but now comes the day_

_To bid you farewell." _

The hobbit had stopped at the head of the table and had realized the dwarves were humming along. Cheyanne saw him grin and he lifted his chin.

_"Many places I have been. _

_Many sorrows I have seen. _

_But I don't regret _

_Nor will I forget_

_All who took that road with me." _

As he sang this part, he looked around at everyone. All of the dwarves simply nodded, their humming not breaking.

_"Night is now falling_

_So ends this day. _

_The road is now calling _

_And I must away. _

_Over hill, and under tree._

_Through lands where never light has shone._

_By silver streams that run down to the sea." _

He met Cheyanne's gaze, and he gave her a small smile.

_"To these memories I will hold. _

_With your blessing I will go _

_To turn at last to paths that lead home. _

_And oh where the road then takes me_

_I cannot tell._

_We came all this way, but now comes the day_

_To bid you farewell." _

The humming went very quiet, and it almost disappeared. Cheyanne wouldn't even have realized it was still there if she hadn't felt Thorin's chest vibrating against her back with the deepness of his voice. Bilbo's voice was very quiet as well.

_"I bid you all a very fond farewell."_

The Gallery of the Kings fell silent. Cheyanne felt a tear slide down her cheek, and she hurriedly brushed it away as Bilbo bowed his head to everyone and walked away from the table, disappearing down a passage.

Cheyanne pulled away from Thorin and hurried after her cousin. "Bilbo!" she called down the hall to him. He stopped, a shadowy figure against the light at the other end. She went up to him and took his shoulders in her hands, turning him around to face her. The hobbit didn't meet her eyes immediately, but when he did, she saw his were full of tears.

Cheyanne slumped her shoulders and pulled him to her in a tight hug. "Don't cry, coz," she whispered. "Please."

"I wasn't going too," Bilbo responded. "Not until you followed me!" Cheyanne laughed and allowed him to pull away. He grinned at her and brushed away the tear that had managed to escape and slide down his cheek. "I'm a mess," he chuckled.

Cheyanne reached forward and pressed her hand against his cheek. "No, you're perfectly fine," she assured him. "I'm very proud of you for singing that song. I think it was perfect."

"Yes it was," Bilbo agreed. He frowned, forehead creasing. "I just wish I could remember where I first heard it."

Cheyanne moved her hand down and took his. "Can I stay with you tonight, coz?" she asked him. "I want to make sure I get as much time with you as I can before it's too late."

Bilbo smiled and nodded. "Of course. If it's all right with our king." He glanced past her shoulder down the passage. "Is it?"

"Yes," Thorin's voice responded. Cheyanne turned around to see him standing at the end of the passage. "Sleep well, halflings." He turned and walked away, back towards the feast.

Cheyanne looked back at her cousin. "Sleep. Funny," Bilbo mused. "We won't be sleeping tonight, will we?"

She shook her head. "Too much to talk about."

The night was spent with them talking about the journey, until they at last fell asleep as the sounds of the feast died down somewhere within the mountain. The next morning, Cheyanne walked with Bilbo down to the main hall, hand in hand with him. Thorin and Gandalf were waiting for them near the main doors.

The two hobbits gazed at each other for a very long moment before Cheyanne reached forward and pulled him to her in a tight hug. Bilbo returned it instantly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders gently, almost like he knew her rib was aching.

"Don't worry, coz," he said to her quietly. "This isn't the last time you'll be seeing me."

"It better not be," she responded.

Bilbo released her, but she didn't release him. "Uh, Chey-" Bilbo tried to pry her off of him, but she wasn't letting go. "Cheyanne."

She felt strong hands grab her shoulders, and she was gently pulled away from her cousin and into Thorin's chest. He held her against him so that she wouldn't go back to Bilbo and cling onto him again. She tugged her eyes away from the hobbit and looked up at Gandalf.

"Keep an eye on him, please," she said softly.

"Of course," the wizard replied with a wink. For a brief moment, it looked like there was a change in his face, and she blinked, and Gandalf was back. "He's safe under my watch."

She pulled against Thorin. When he didn't let her go, she sighed. "I'm not going to… Let me go, please." Thorin did so after a moment, and she walked back over to Bilbo. He gazed at her with eyes that reflected her own, and she reached out and touched his cheek with her fingertips. "Safe travels, Bilbo."

He stepped forward and rested his forehead against hers for a long moment before he brushed her hair back and kissed her there gently. He then turned to Thorin and held out his hand. The dwarf shook it firmly, and Bilbo grinned. "Take care of her, please. As payment for my help."

Thorin merely nodded. "Thank you, Master Baggins."

Bilbo dipped his head and tweaked Cheyanne's chin before he glanced up at Gandalf and exited Erebor. The wizard tilted his hat to them both and followed. Cheyanne moved out of the mountain and stood at the doors as hobbit and wizard walked away from her into the early morning mist. She saw Bilbo stop once and his head bowed.

For a second, she thought he was going to turn around, but he didn't, and after a moment, he continued walking. Cheyanne let out a breath, and it floated away from her as a white cloud. Thorin gently pulled her against him as she watched Gandalf and Bilbo disappear from view.

When they were gone, she allowed Thorin to lead her back into Erebor, and they stopped just inside. Cheyanne lifted her head and gazed around the main hall. "Bilbo is going home," she said to Thorin, glancing up at him, "and I'm already here."

Thorin smiled and kissed her temple gently. "Yes you are."

* * *

**There we go. That's seems like an appropriate ending. **

**Perhaps. **

**I dunno. **

**I'll post the epilogue on Saturday or somethin'. Just too give _MIWGBA_ a solid conclusion. **

**Thanks for sticking around for this.**


	28. Epilogue - There and Back Again

**Yep. This is the last part of _Maybe I Won't Go Back Again._ I really enjoyed writing and uploading this to FanFiction, as many of you seemed to enjoy reading it. And when my work makes people happy, I'm happy. **

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

I hesitated in the hallway, gazing at the wooden door in front of me. Did I really want to know if there was an empty apartment waiting for me behind it? I supposed that if Gary had been lying, Cheyanne would have reemerged from her apartment earlier that week to show she was still around. But I hadn't seen her in three days.

It wasn't like I had expected her to come back. From what she'd looked like the last time I'd seen her, it seemed pretty clear that her dreams were actually happening in some strange manner that I will never question Gary about no matter how much it bugged me.

Not that I could question Gary about it. The old man had disappeared, too, leaving Dreamer's empty and abandoned. On the counter had been a note for me.

_Jon,_

_Cheyanne and I are home. Dreamer's is yours now. Take care of it, my boy._

_Gary Hoffman_

Well, gee. Thanks, Gary. Such a nice parting gift.

Letting out a small breath, I nodded to myself and stepped forward towards the door. Putting the spare key Cheyanne had given me in the lock, I turned it, and then turned the knob. The door swung open to what I expected; the title screen music for _An Unexpected Journey_ repeating itself for the thousandth time.

I entered the apartment hesitantly, not really wanting to know if I was alone in there or not. Cautiously, I said, "Cheyanne?"

There was no response.

I hadn't expected one, to be quite honest. When Gary hadn't shown up to work the day after Cheyanne had gone back to sleep, I'd figured that it had worked and everything was done. I'd lost them both.

I sighed and walked over to the couch sitting behind a coffee table in front of Cheyanne's TV. I paused before sitting down, realizing that there was an indentation in the cushions, as though someone had been lying there. With a squeak, I jumped backwards away from it. Cheyanne had been laying there.

Swallowing thickly, I turned away from the couch and walked to the TV to shut it off, since the music had started to give me a headache. I couldn't believe it. She really was gone. She'd faded away, just like Gary had said she would, and the old man had gone with her.

What a bust.

I missed her already, and she'd only been gone for three days. I missed them both, actually. Our little squad had given me life, and now that I was the only one left, what life did I have?

That's when I realized that I could finish her story, despite it being a FanFiction. Actually, I _had_ to finish her story, the way _I_ wanted it to end.

I walked into Cheyanne's bedroom and sat down at her desk in front of her computer. I turned it on and typed in her password: _Amralime._ Shaking my head at it, I waited for the computer to boot up before loading up the notepad titled _My dream._

Cracking my fingers, I set to work. I didn't plan on adding everything from where she'd stopped; I merely wanted to give it an ending, one that I approved of.

It took me an hour to get it written out. I didn't have it planned, and so it was a lot of thinking, but I was pleased with the final result:

_After everything I had gone through, I wanted nothing more than to return home. I wanted to go back to Texas and be with Jon and Gary again. Deep down, however, I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't be able too._

_Middle-Earth was a part of me now. The only choice I had was to remain here, or leave it behind forever. I didn't want to make the decision._

_Luckily, Gary made it for me._

_I met him at Dreamer's, and he explained to me everything he'd done. About the dream being his work because he was actually Gandalf, and had been friends with J. R. R. Tolkien. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. But what he told me next, however, almost made me fall out in a dead faint on the floor._

_"Cheyanne, you and Jon and I, we don't belong here on Earth. We belong in Middle-Earth."_

_Thanks, G. I knew I could count on you._

_So, Jon and I retreated to our apartments to await Gary's final transformation of us. I'm sitting here now, at my computer, writing to finish the story before I lose technology forever, most likely. I wonder how Jon will react to being a hobbit._

_Actually, he wouldn't be a hobbit. He's probably an Elf._

_Oh! Maybe he's Legolas!_

_Pfft, lucky._

I grinned to myself as I saved the note and pushed the chair back away from Cheyanne's desk. I would definitely be Legolas.

Dammit, Gary, why didn't you take me with you guys?

I was about to turn off Cheyanne's computer and leave when the doorbell of Cheyanne's apartment rang. I frowned and went to answer the door, wondering who the hell it could be.

When I opened it, I found myself looking at an empty hallway. Grunting in frustration, I almost slammed the door when I looked down and saw an envelope sitting on the floor.

Bending down, I picked it up and glanced up and down the hallway once more before retreating inside the apartment again and opening it.

Inside was a single sheet of yellow parchment with what could have only been Middle-Earth type writing on it.

Written in the scripture were four words:

_You are not Legolas._

I muttered out a curse and rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. "Forget you, Gary," I said to it. "You can't tell me who I am and who I'm not!"

The paper flashed in my hands, and I looked back down at it. A new line had been added.

_Yes I can. I'm the author._

"Oh yeah? Well… Maybe of this story, but Tolkien came first!" I said aloud. I hesitated. "Is Cheyanne okay?"

The paper flashed again.

_She's perfectly fine._

I grinned slightly when I read it. "Can you tell her that I miss her?"

_I think she knows, Jon. Somewhere inside of her, she knows._

Bowing my head in understanding, I quietly said, "I hope so."

The paper glimmered, and I turned my eyes to the line of black ink that had appeared.

_I'll keep you in the loop. Is that what you kids say nowadays?_

I had to laugh. Gary was still being Gary. "No, G," I told him. "Not anymore."

_Darn. Was I close?_

"Not really."

_Oh well. I'll figure it out. And Jon?_

"Yes?"

_Don't forget._

"Forget about you guys?" I shook my head. "I couldn't."

* * *

**Oh, shoot. I almost forgot. **

**In the last chapter, when Cheyanne said "Bilbo is going home, and I'm already here." **

**I think she was talking about how Thorin is her home now. I mean, I didn't realize this until I was watching _Outlander_ last night at two in the morning, but jeeze. I think that's what she meant. **

**And it makes me a little happy. **

**Sorry. I'll let you all go now. **

**Thanks for sticking around, once again. I hope you enjoyed the tales of Cheyanne, and how everything turned out in the end. **

**Who knows? Maybe we'll see more of her in the future. **

**I bid you all a very fond farewell. **


	29. Author's Note

Salutations, friendships! It's been a bit, and, too be quite honest, I didn't think I'd be coming back here.

However! I am the bearer of good news.

Ahem.

I, SmiggleWiggy, author of _The Hobbit_ FanFiction _Maybe I Won't Go Back Again_, am writing a sequel to the previously mentioned FanFiction!

With all original writing this time! Whoohoo!

I was doing Promptember, and I ended up writing a drabble or two based around Cheyanne and Thorin, and I was like, "Hey. This is really good stuff. Is there maybe a... sequel in my mind somewhere?"

The answer to that question, my friends, is "Yes. There is a sequel in my mind somewhere, and I've written 75 pages of it."

So! I have yet to decide if I'm going to just make a whole new FanFiction, or if I'm going to be adding onto this one with a part 4, but if I do make a new one, keep an eye out for it, 'cause I think it's gon' be pretty good.

I'm gonna write a little bit more for the sequel before I start uploading, but when I do start uploading it, I promise I will have a schedule.

Keep an eye out for another chapter in this, or a new FanFiction from me in _The Hobbit_ section of the website!

Until I see you again, I once more bid you all a very fond farewell, and I wish you all a happy New Year!


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